On September 10, 2008 at a press conference held in the lobby of the Cypress Regional Hospital in Swift Current, the Dr. Noble Irwin Regional Healthcare Foundation Inc. announced the establishment of a $10.5 million endowment program in support of equipment, operations (which includes programs) and education.

The Pay It Forward Endowment Program is conducted in partnership with financial advisors BMO Nesbitt Burns, CIBC Wood Gundy, Credential Securities Inc., Mercator Financial, RBC Dominion Securities Inc. Roger Mirka Investment Advisor, Sun Life Financial & Wellington West Capital Inc.

It is designed to help sustain continued improvement in the quality of healthcare for generations of Southwest residents. The endowments will be able to help meet the needs in the future near and long term.

Participating in the announcement were invited guests including the Foundation Board of Directors, Pay It Forward partners, supporters of the Foundation, Tyler Bragg (Chairman, Cypress Regional Health Authority Board), Cypress Regional Health Authority Board members, Cypress Regional Hospital CEO Jim Hornell, and community members of the 19 care facilities that live in The Great Southwest that supports the Foundation.

The Caring for Generations Wall of Honour, built by Keith Miyashiro of Engel’s Custom Framing & Trophies will pay tribute to all those who have contributed to the work of the Foundation. Located in the front lobby of the new Cypress Regional Hospital, The Wall of Honour - Caring for Generations will feature named endowment donors in the categories of Equipment, Operations and Scholarships who have donated a minimum of $50,000, Planned gifts of $25,000 or greater and the electronic donor kiosk.

Used with the permission of Warner Brothers Entertainment Inc., The Dr. Noble Irwin Regional Healthcare Foundation Inc., has secured the naming rights to the Pay It Forward Endowment Program. The endowments will be able to help The Foundation meet the needs in the future both near and long term, and to fill out the mandate of assuring a continued improvement in the quality of healthcare for each resident in Southwest Saskatchewan.

Pay It Forward on Southwest TV

Southwest TV News broadcast segments about the Pay It Forward Endowment Program from September 2008 through the next six weeks. Program participants and topics included:

• Lyn Johnston (Retired) Dr. Noble Irwin Regional Healthcare Foundation Inc.: Endowments - What Are They?
• Robert R. Heinrichs, Partner, McLaughlin Forrester Heinrichs: Wills, the Power of Choice
• Tyler Bragg, Partner, Pinnacle Financial Services: Consider Leaving a Legacy
• Jerrod Schaffer, Vice President, Wellington West Capital Inc.: Protecting Your Retirement Nest Egg

Preparing for the Future

The Foundation has always worked diligently and to the best of our ability, with the funds entrusted to us by our donors, to ensure we are improving the quality of health care available for all our Southwest Saskatchewan residents.

We know only to well the demands the future will hold and that is why it is critical that we assure there is a sound endowment program in place. To this end your Dr. Noble Irwin Regional Healthcare Foundation is embarking on the establishment of a $10.5 million endowment program in support of Equipment, Operations (which includes programs) and Education.

The Pay It Forward Program will be conducted in partnership with financial advisors: BMO Nesbitt Burns, CIBC Wood Gundy, Credential Securities Inc., Mercator Financial, Roger Mirka Investment Advisor- RBC Dominion Securities Inc., Sun Life Financial, and Wellington West Capital Inc. To support meeting future demands we know it is important that these endowments are in place as quickly as possible.

The endowments will be able to help us meet your needs in the future both near and long term. We know there will always be a great deal of work to do however, with the endowments in place your Foundation will be able to easily and adequately cover the increasing need for our help and continue to fill our mandate of assuring a continued improvement in the quality of care for each resident in Southwest Saskatchewan.

Together we can work toward creating a center of health care excellence for all who enjoy residing in what is arguably one of the most beautiful and diverse regions of the Province.

Please take the time to read through this magazine at your leisure, and learn about our endowment program, as well as some of the things your Foundation has been doing to help out throughout the region. If you would like more information about our programs please feel free to contact me or come out for coffee when I come to visit your community or a community near you this fall.