Staff at the Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority (IERHA) just presented some cheques to various organizations throughout their region. Executive director Pamela McCallum explains it's part of a program they began three years ago.

"The Five Dollar Club is the Region corporate program where staff are able to enrol to a club, so to speak, where they can have $5.00 deducted from their paycheques," says McCallum. "That money goes into a fund, and at the end of the year we get some recommendations from them on what to fund."

At the end of December, they had $14,500 which they provided for five organizations. They were Nova House with $4,800, a Women's shelter in Selkirk; $4,700 to Survivor's Hope Crisis Centre; Interlake Eastern Health Foundation, an IERHA peer, received $1,000 for their endowment fund; $1,000 for Children's Wish Foundation; and $1,000 for Camp Stepping Stone, a camp for children who've experienced a loss in their lives.

"It feels really good," continues McCallum. "This is our biggest year to date. We're up to 135 members now. Last year we had about $12,000 to spend. So, we're up about $2,500, which is just wonderful. Being able to get the recommendations for funding from the club, and then get all those organized and send those back out for them to vote on, is a really good idea on how to disburse the funds."

She notes the staff are generous to give that money from their incomes, and then they get to choose who gets the funding. McCallum says they gave $12,000 last year, and the first year was about $7,500, putting them at almost twice as much this year compared to their first year.

 

Above Photo:

TOP RIGHT: IERHA employee Five Dollar Club member, Susan Gunderson along with executive director of Nova House, Viktoria Westgate, and executive director of Interlake-Eastern Health Foundation Pamela McCallum acknowledged the donation of $4,800 in support of the women’s shelter. 

Westgate says the program relies heavily on community support. The money will be used to purchase sheds for stroller storage.

“On behalf of the staff at Nova House and the individuals that utilize our services we would like to express our extreme gratitude for this donation,” Westgate said. “We were working, unsuccessfully, on trying to find a donation for sheds so that we would have a practical area for moms to store strollers, of which we have many.  This donation is timely and now we will be able to buy the sheds/storage space we need.”

 

TOP LEFT: Stephanie Klassen, executive director of Survivor’s Hope Crisis Centre and Pam McCallum, Interlake-Eastern Health Foundation executive director acknowledged the donation of $4,700 from the Five Dollar Club. Survivors Hope provides crisis intervention support, and information to primary and secondary victims of sexualized violence in north-eastern Manitoba. 

"These funds are going to help us proceed with the project of ensuring our programming is culturally appropriate and facilitating training that enhances the cultural safety of all the work we do addressing sexualized violence in the region,” says Klassen. ”We are grateful that the Interlake-Eastern Health Foundation acknowledges the importance of this work. Thank you!"

 

BOTTOM RIGHT: Interlake-Eastern Health Foundation board director and finance chair, Bill Bodman acknowledged the $1,000 from the Five Dollar Club. The donation will be added to the Interlake-Eastern Health Fund which benefits all of the regions’ facilities and programs. Donations to the Interlake-Eastern Health Fund remain under the Foundation’s management in perpetuity with only the annual interest spent.

 

BOTTOM LEFT: Interlake-Eastern Foundation executive director, Pamela McCallum along with IERHA employee Five Dollar Club member, Sanela Maric and palliative care clinical team manager, Tammie-Lee Rogowski and Camp Stepping Stones volunteer coordinator Sandra Milotte celebrated the donation of $3,000 to the camp for children that have recently experienced the death of a loved one. The camp relies 100 per cent on donations and volunteer time. This donation from IERHA staff will allow for program enhancements that would have not been possible otherwise.

“The organizing committee of Camp Stepping Stones is over the moon with sincere thanks and gratitude for this generous donation. The camp weekend would not be possible without donated time and resources. We try to incorporate small changes each year to make camp as beneficial and rewarding as possible while keeping up with technology – because as the generations of children change so do their needs. Donations like this help us better the camp experience and meet the needs of grieving children,” says Rogowski. 

 

BOTTOM CENTRE: Interlake-Eastern Heath Foundation executive director Pamela McCallum and Children’s Wish Foundation provincial director Maria Toscano, acknowledged the $1,000 donation for the Five Dollar Club.

The Children’s Wish Foundation will use its donation to enhance the life of a child who is ill.