Summer 2012 Newsletter - Roger's House

A Message From the Executive Director—Lloyd Cowin
I would first like to thank Erin Crowe our outgoing Board Chair. Erin has been on the board since our inception and has been Chair of
our Finance Committee, Vice Chair of the Board and has just completed her term as Chair. Thankfully, we
will retain Erin’s leadership and influence as she will remain on the Board as Past Chair this coming year.
It is my pleasure to welcome Susan Richardson as our new Board Chair. Susan has been on the Board for
five years and has been Chair of our Quality Committee and Vice Chair of the Board, so she is very familiar
with the needs and goals of Roger’s House.
The major change and investment made this past year was in our IT infrastructure and support. We have
contracted Grade A Techs as our IT service provider. We have also replaced our server and now host our
own email, which gives staff better access to email remotely. We also purchased new computers and laptops
this past year. All of these changes combined to improve work flow, communication and reduce risk.
We successfully met the requirements for renewing our Hospice Palliative Care Ontario (HPCO) Level 2
accreditation requirements. This demonstrates the commitment of the staff, physicians, volunteers and
Board to providing excellent and safe care to our children and families.
Finally, I would like to congratulate the Sens Foundation who received the Philanthropy Leadership Award from Hospice Palliative Care
Ontario at HPCO’s annual conference in April! This award recognizes the Sens Foundation’s ongoing commitment to hospice and palliative
care. As the charity of choice for the Sens Foundation, Roger’s House is very proud and appreciative of the Sens Foundation’s
award and ongoing commitment to hospice palliative care.
We Can Never Say ‘Thank You’ Enough to Our Volunteers!
In honour of National Volunteer Week we highlighted a special volunteer engagement role, the Memory Box Artist. Roger’s House
hosted a Painting Day on Thursday, April 19 th with more than 25 volunteer artists assembling in the basement. The day began with welcoming
words from Carol Chevalier, social worker at RH, who expressed
our gratitude to the volunteers for the tremendous gift they donate by
painting these special boxes. The artists toured the house and then set to
work! The painting workshop was facilitated by Mrs. Bonnie Lucas and assisted
by Hazel Brayman, two dedicated RH volunteers; both ladies assisted
and advised the painters on colour and design choices.
Roger’s House Volunteers were invited to visit and meet the artists as they
created the memory boxes over the course of the day.
A big thank you goes out to all the artists who supported the Roger’s House
mission by assisting with an important element of bereavement services.
The annual staff and volunteer BBQ was held June 20 th ; it was one hot and
memorable evening! Many people contributed to the success of the event. Thank you to all for your generous help.
As part of the festivities, we honoured the dedicated volunteers who have contributed more than 500 hours of service. Donna Babcock,
Cathy Auchinleck, Ann Buchanan, Rachel Derks, Bill Gordon, Mac Hiltz, Marjorie Myles, and Judy Young were the volunteers honoured
Walk, Roll, and Run: A Huge Success for Roger’s House!
Roger’s House families were out in force on Sunday, June 17 th in
support of the annual Scotiabank Walk, Roll & Run for Roger’s
House. More than 800 people supported Roger’s House by registering
and collecting donations from family and friends. As usual,
some of the top fundraisers are intimately connected with the
House including Scotiabanker Julie Frey, past board member Chad
Schella, and top team Connor McHardy’s Mates lead by Mindy and
Geoff McHardy. The event raised $160,000 for the Sens Foundation
which now contributes 25% of Roger’s House annual operating
budget, provides funding for capital, Quebec family usage,
and invests in two endowments for Roger’s House.