Dear donor community,

I hope this message finds you in good health and fair spirits. If it finds you exhausted, please know that you’re not alone. While navigating a challenging time is no longer new to us, perhaps we expected life at this moment to look quite different. I know I was hopeful that it would.

Our community is hearing a lot about our local hospitals and healthcare system facing the cumulative effects of the pandemic, especially those from Omicron. They continue to navigate great stress and burden.

However, I want to share a little light with you—we could all use it after this grey month. What you are doing is helping. Your gifts are making an impact. Despite all the challenges, your actions advance the work of our Island Health colleagues, and they change the lives of Island patients—to this day.

We are all noticing that the effects of the pandemic have exposed cracks in so much of what we considered solid a short time ago. I will be the first to tell you that a hospital foundation can’t fix everything. That no donation—no matter how large—will magically remedy every problem that our province is challenged with during this pandemic. But I’d like to also share with you what I see and hear from inside our hospitals:

The special projects you fund to expand space and services, the equipment and tools you equip our care teams with, the research you are advancing to prevent illness, the recognition initiatives displayed in our hospitals—all of it is helping. What we can control and support is working. You continue to move the needle and lift some of the strain. I can’t express enough how grateful caregivers and administrators are for your generosity and commitment. How even the smallest things make a very big difference right now. Many I speak to have never faced something like they face today, but still—they make a point to share their appreciation for your support.

I also need to share with you that as tireless as our care teams are in keeping us healthy and safe, we are tireless in looking for ways to support them. Though exhausted, this is no time to rest. As a conduit for the change you wish to see, we are always working to find the most innovative and effective ways to advance care in our hospitals.

As an example, we continue to see great momentum in the Emerge Stronger campaign, our largest and most diverse fundraising initiative. Just three months after launching, over 2,250 of you have helped us reach close to a quarter of Emerge Stronger’s $10 million goal. In addition to the campaign, we are continuously searching for opportunities to work toward our mission and transform care on the Island. I look forward to sharing more exciting news about this with you in the coming weeks.

Again, I won’t tell you that we can fix everything, as much as I wish I could. But we can make a difference. By answering our call for support, you are helping fix what we can in truly the best way we know how. Even when challenges seem immense, your gifts do change lives.

Until we speak again, please stay well, be safe, and accept my deepest gratitude for your support,

Avery Brohman
Executive Director, Victoria Hospitals Foundation

P.S. In this time, we all want to help, and I know that those who can see the challenges are some of the most invested in ensuring we are better prepared for them in the future. I invite you to open a conversation with me personally via email at Avery.Brohman@islandhealth.ca to discuss what we can do today, and how your support can help us welcome a healthier tomorrow for everyone.