health+care

Spring/Summer 2013

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legacies Our Hospital Ellen and Howard Kennett are the newest members to join the ranks of the Foundation's Weatherby circle of generous legacy donors. By Nancy Gratham P eace Arch Hospital is very much the hospital that the community built. In fact, it's no exaggeration to say that the Hospital owes its very existence to the determination of local citizens who felt it was high time their community had its own medical centre. Happily, the same spirit that inspired and drove the creation of Peace Arch Hospital lives on today in the generous efforts of hundreds of dedicated supporters and donors – people like Ellen Kennett. Years of service As a wife, mother and long-time resident of White Rock, Ellen has always been sensitive to the importance of quality health-care services, not only for her own family but also for her community. That's a big part of why she embraced Peace Arch Hospital as her cause of choice – one to which she would contribute both her time and charitable contributions. Ellen's history of service to the Hospital is long and distinguished, including four years as president of the Auxiliary, 12 years of service on the Board of Trustees (including two as Chair), and a two-year term as the Foundation's first Board Chair. "When we were younger, we didn't have a lot of dollars to give," says Ellen of herself and her colleagues, "so we donated our time." Not that time would have been in big supply either. Between them, Ellen and her husband Howard (they married after both were widowed) have 10 children, seven of whom were born in the White Rock and District Hospital as it was then known. However, despite a busy family schedule, Ellen always found time to contribute to efforts aimed at continually enhancing services at Peace Arch Hospital. " oward and I are not particularly well-to-do, H but we are pleased to remember our Peace Arch Hospital in our wills." – Ellen Kennett "It's so important to ensure our community has a hospital with the best medical equipment," says Ellen, who recognizes that top equipment also helps attract top medical staff. While Peace Arch Hospital and Community Health Foundation continues to raise funds to buy equipment and expand facilities – the latest goal being a new Emergency Department – Ellen is keenly aware of how years of donor generosity to the hospital has already helped her community: "Thanks to the world-class staff and stateof-the-art equipment at Peace Arch, we seldom need to go to the city hospitals." A legacy gift While some might think Ellen has more than done her part and should retire, she says she's far from ready to declare her work for Peace Arch Hospital complete. Ellen was asked to serve on the Foundation's Partners in Caring Committee as a liaison and has been out and about in the community to speak on the early history of health care in the area, the building of the first hospital and the beginnings of the Auxiliary. Now, after letting the Foundation know that she and Howard have made provision in their wills for a gift to Peace Arch Hospital, the couple are also the newest members of the Weatherby circle of legacy donors, named for Amy Weatherby, who originally donated the 5.5-acre parcel of land on which the current hospital is built. "Howard and I are not particularly well-to-do," says Ellen, "but we are pleased to remember our Peace Arch Hospital in our wills." It's the hospital Ellen and her remarkable community helped to build. ■ 14  h e a l t h + c a r e   s p r i n g /s u m m e r 2 013 p14-15 Legacy-Community.indd 14 Photograph: Rachel Pick 13-04-12 2:57 PM

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