Cardiac care at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre got a $10,000 boost this week, its share of the Durfresne family's one million-dollar charity challenge.
Rob Coffey, general manager and franchisee of the local outlet, said it was the company’s way of giving back to the communities in which it’s done business for the past 25 years.
Thunder Bay had a special place in the family’s hearts, he added.
“Eva Dufresne, who is the wife of the founder of Dufresne Furniture and Appliances, did her nurse’s training in Thunder Bay at McKellar, and is still an active member of their alumni,” Coffey said. “She visits quite often and was quite instrumental to this gift to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.”
The cardiac unit itself got the nod thanks to Coffey.
“I had a member of my family who was able to do the local angioplasty in Thunder Bay, that’s now being done, as opposed to being flown out of town. That decision was left to me, and I thought what a great fit,” he said.
Mark Henderson, the director of interventional cardiology at the hospital, said donations like the one made by the Dufresne family to the Northern Cardiac Fund go a long way to ensuring residents of Northwestern Ontario can get care close to home.
Without public donations, hospital officials would have little choice but to ship patients to southern Ontario, Winnipeg or even the U.S.
“The government doesn’t fund all the things that we do and we rely on public donations for equipment,” Henderson said.
“A lot of the whole angioplasty program was basically done by public donation, so it’s very important that we continue to raise funds as we go forward.”
Henderson expressed his gratitude for the latest gift.
“Obviously they’re a great supporter of philanthropy and we’re very happy to be a part of that.”
The challenge was launched in June, with a plan to donate $500,000 to at least 50 charities, who in turn would raise matching funds to meet the million-dollar goal.
Other Northwestern Ontario recipients included Dryden Youth Soccer, Kenora’s Firefly-Minto Resource Centre, the Lake of the Woods District Hospital Foundation and the Grace Haven Lutheran Community Care Centre in Dryden.
