S p e c i a l F e a t u r e
C R E A T E A L E G A C Y
of Prostate Cancer Canada. This national
foundation also contributes to prevention
campaigns. David Walker, vice president
of the Western Canada ofice, gives credit
to the ongoing support of legacy donors
for making signiicant gains. "These
thoughtful major gifts are helping to arrest
the mortality rate and signiicantly stop
the disease," he says. "We're seeing 2,400
more dads, uncles, sons and grandfathers
alive today than 20 years ago, because of
the advance of research and also growing
awareness among men about getting a
PSA
test done."
Changing Lives
Donors to the Children's Wish Foundation
of Canada also feel a sense of connection.
The average cost of granting a wish to
a seriously ill child is $10,000, and so
donors know exactly what their gift is
accomplishing. "A donor can change a
child's life," says Jennifer Petersen, director
of the British Columbia & Yukon Chapter.
"It's easy for a donor to understand the
power of a wish, and there's great joy in it."
Legacy gifts have allowed the
organization to continue offering a ive-year
window to any child whose wish is approved.
This window is a unique feature of the
Children's Wish Foundation, and a crucial
part of the wish-granting process. Some
children are undergoing chemotherapy or
other treatment and are not stable enough
to travel or enjoy whatever experience they
have chosen, so this flexibility allows them to
fulill their wish.
The Foundation is now expanding its
eligibility criteria and granting wishes to
children who have serious genetic and
neurological illnesses. "We are changing
the world of wish granting and we need
the support to help us along the path,"
says Petersen. "We anticipate 200 new
children over the next 18 months, and we
are working hard to ind the funds to grant
wishes to these kids."
Sustaining Growth
Any organization envisioning growth must
be able to count on long-term support.
The Ronald McDonald House of British
Columbia (RMHBC)
recently celebrated the
irst anniversary of two new facilities, one
on the grounds of BC Children's Hospital
and another in the new wing of Surrey
Memorial Hospital. These residences
are for families who must travel from a
distance for treatments for their children.
Richard Pass,
CEO of the RMHBC, says
that the annual operational budget has
grown from about $900,000 to $2.6
million. "Now that the new houses are
built, everything that we're doing is about
raising funds to continue to support
families in new and better ways," he says.
"Legacy gifts provide that sustainability for
a long time."
The Ronald McDonald House is an
independently owned and operated local
