November 15 is a special day for the Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Foundation (PECMHF) and for our charitable partners across the region – it’s National Philanthropy Day.

This day signifies the importance of working together for the common good and to recognize the great contributions of philanthropy including those people active in the philanthropic community, whether they are paid fundraisers, volunteers, service organizations, or donors themselves.

Philanthropy, as I am learning, takes many forms and is a core value behind so many of PECMHF’s strong partnerships within the community.

Recently, one of the foundation’s strongest partners, the Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Auxiliary generously offered to make a 1:1 match on all gifts to PECMHF’s equipment fund up to $150,000.

For every dollar raised, the auxiliary will donate $1.00. The goal is to raise $150,000 from the community and the auxiliary will donate $150,000. This matching incentive applies to new gifts received from now until January 31, 2023, and will be used towards the purchase of an x-ray machine needed at our County hospital.

Contributions made through this matching gift campaign will ensure our hospital has access to leading edge medical devices so patients in our region do not have to travel to other facilities for this service.

The foundation is raising $595,000 to purchase this new machine. This diagnostic imaging device will be used in the current hospital and will transition into Prince Edward County’s new hospital in 2027.

This year, in honour of National Philanthropy Day, and the great work of our hospital auxiliary, I encourage you to make a contribution that is meaningful to you to the foundation’s x-ray campaign and have it matched by the auxiliary.

You can be a part of philanthropy in action and join donors from across the region who are making charitable contributions in support of keeping our hospital well equipped. If you are inspired to join this community of supporters, I hope you will consider participating in National Philanthropy Day by giving one of the greatest gifts of all, the gift of health.

You can also watch for our County-wide mail drop happening later this month via Canada Post that outlines the match and provides an opportunity to give. Every gift to our Christmas appeal will be doubled!

As a side note, Remembrance Day is fast approaching. Our local Legion branches are also an important philanthropic partner to our foundation. I hope you remember to wear a poppy and give what you can to the poppy fund. In the last decade, PECMHF has been the recipient of over $117,000 in equipment funding, which comes largely through poppy sales from our local Legion branches. This is another amazing example of philanthropy in action. We are grateful for the incredible veterans and Legion members living in our community.

Having the right equipment in the right hands means that patient care remains first-rate at our hospital. Please consider helping us by making a financial contribution to the x-ray machine and have your gift matched by the auxiliary this holiday season.

Together, we can show what a difference we can make when we work together. To make a donation, and have it matched by the auxiliary, visit our website at www.pecmhf.ca or call 613-476-1008 ext. 4502.