Dear friends and champions of the Foundation,
Today, I’m reaching out to express my heartfelt gratitude and appreciation, and while this message may be longer than usual, I hope you’ll find a moment to share in the pride I feel for our community.
This week, we welcomed a new fiscal year and the beginning of a new chapter for the Foundation. But before we turn the page, I want to pause and reflect with you on the extraordinary year that was 2024-25. Advancing care is a collective effort, and the impact we have made on advancing healthcare innovation locally and all together these past twelve months, is truly remarkable. I want to take a sincere and intentional pause to thank you for your trust, your time, your passion, and your generosity.
It is important I start by acknowledging how special it is to be united with you in our mission. This past year, we have had the great privilege of introducing ourselves to new donors, volunteers, and spokespeople drawn in by the causes we championed, the dreams and dedication of our caregivers, and the generosity of those uniting to lift our hospitals. We have seen members of our donor family make the largest gifts they could, at every level—from $25, to $2.5 million, and everywhere in between. It has been profoundly rewarding to learn your reason and intention behind the gifts you have offered. Every gift has made a difference and contributed to the greater good. If you have championed care with us beyond this past year, please accept my overwhelming gratitude. If you have just joined us, thank you for believing in our cause, and welcome to our donor family.
With that, it is with profound gratitude that I unveil 2024-25 was our largest year in annual revenue, surpassing well over $20 million—allowing us to offer our largest disbursements to Island Health. This is a milestone I look forward to highlighting in our Annual Report this coming fall, but I want you to know that what we’ve experienced has been nothing short of humbling and inspiring. This momentum is sparking meaningful change across both Royal Jubilee (RJH) and Victoria General (VGH) hospitals. You are at the heart of this movement of good in our community.
Victoria Hospitals Foundation CEO Avery Brohman (second from right), with Imaging Is Power physician spokespeople Dr. Kristen Attwell-Pope (left), Dr. Brian Mc Ardle, Dr. Hayley Bos, Dr. Alan Andrew, Dr. Vamshi Kotha, and Dr. Anthony Della Siega.
Our physicians recognize this too. Time and again, they share that our universal healthcare system is strong—but that it is your philanthropy that truly drives innovation and excellence. They feel proud of our presence and relentless mission to support them. We know that when we come together to prioritize the best-in-class, our hospitals grow stronger—and when our hospitals are strong, our entire Island benefits. One of the greatest lessons we have learned over the last few years is that we see the largest impact when we work directly with our physicians and caregivers.
Imaging is Power came to be when our radiologists shared their vision: to elevate imaging in our hospitals and, in turn, enhance the care for the 500 patients who rely on imaging every single day. Our radiologists were driven by a deep commitment to deliver advanced care, and they saw the way forward so clearly using an innovative refurbishment technique which would save money and redefine the way we purchase new equipment, and if we even had to. Together, we pursued Imaging is Power, transforming six essential medical imaging tools in our hospitals and introducing first-in-Canada technology to our hospitals.
Your show of support in this campaign was evident, and so is your impact—since October, the new CT scanner installed at VGH has seen 3,000 patients benefit from its advanced capabilities, and 500 critical cardiac procedures have been performed with the latest donor-funded C-Arm. Additionally, and impressively, the first of three refurbished MRI machines has already allowed us to accommodate an additional 25 patients each week—adding up to 1,300 more patients annually. Together with our radiologists, you have brought incredible technology to our community, mitigating imaging wait times, reducing radiation exposure for both patients and caregivers, and enabling new advanced procedures. We celebrated the completion of Imaging is Power, all together, on July 30th, 2024.
One of the three donor-funded MRI machines refurbished for a third of the cost, a first in Canada.
Three months later to the day, we proudly launched It’s Time, hand-in-hand with our surgeons—a multi-phase campaign that is redefining what is possible on Vancouver Island. The first phase, It’s Time for Surgical Innovation, is a gamechanger for our operating rooms. Through your support, we are introducing best-in-class technology and expanding access to minimally invasive procedures, especially in cancer care.
Local surgical team members, Dr. Sohrab Khorasani, Registered Nurse Breanna, Dr. Cailan Macpherson, Dr. Mona Mazgani, Dr. Jeff McCracken, Dr. Gregory Hosier, Registered Nurse Kira, Registered Nurse Larissa, and Dr. Sepehr Khorasani in front of the donor-funded da Vinci surgical robot.
In parallel with the campaign, impact is already being felt: since the donor-funded da Vinci robot was operationalized on February 3rd of this year, our urologists have completed over 40 robotic-assisted surgeries. Impressively, 74% of patients undergoing these procedures have been discharged on the same day, or on day 1 post-op—compared to the typical three-to-five-day hospital stay. It’s extraordinary—for our patients, for their families, for our caregivers, and for our hospital system as a whole. We are seeing real change, in real time.
Today, we have reached well over $12 million of our $17 million goal, with profound thanks to over 2,900 champions like you. With an ongoing $1 million match by the generous Craig Mearns so close to completion, we will soon be able to celebrate a new milestone of $14 million. Thank you to the more than 800 of you who have responded to the match so far. If you still wish to take part in this incredible wave of generosity for double the impact, there is still time and we invite you to join us.
Over the coming months, we will shine a bright spotlight on women’s health, and critically-needed advancements coming to the Island for our grandmothers, mothers, and daughters. To know rates of gynecological cancer have increased by nearly 50% over the past ten years is alarming—to know we will do something about it is fueling the start of our new fiscal year.
It’s important to celebrate that we are seeing change beyond our campaign, too—in caregiver education, in research, and in areas meaningful to you. I leave 2024-25 most honoured to know our community sees the need and opportunity to do better for and in our hospitals—may that be by bringing a preventative cardiac program SAVE BC to RJH alongside all other heart centres in the province, or fueling caregiver education through the Heather A. Simpson Scholarship by funding 50% of their tuition. I am equally inspired by the momentum we felt this past year, while also reassured—our community answers the call time and time again to support our care teams who thrive to do better for their patients.
I feel called to acknowledge with utmost sincerity our volunteers, who this year have not only grown in numbers, but grown in engagement, too. To work with a volunteer Board of Directors chaired by Joan Yates, our Visions steering committee under the leadership of Charlotte Salomon K.C., our Miracle gala steering committee under the guidance of Amy Ratcliff, and our campaign cabinets is the purest form of servant leadership—and a true gift to us all. Recently, at a gathering, I heard two volunteers refer to our cause and our hospitals as “our own.” I was deeply moved. This cause is truly ours, and these hospitals belong to us all. To stand side by side with such an inspiring group of community leaders—each one generously donating their time and energy—is something I will never take for granted.
Avery Brohman with the VHF Board of Directors: Anup Grewal (left), Jessica Thomson (Secretary), Jas Dusanj (Treasurer), Cynthia Smith, Marko Peljhan, Helen Wale, Joan Yates (Chair), Ryan O’Grady, Kendall Gross, Jagdeep Bawa, and Ian Wong (Vice-Chair).
Thank you to each one of you for showing up in force. At the Victoria Hospitals Foundation, we elevate and celebrate at every opportunity, a value of ours that is only made possible because of your support. Whether you made a gift in tribute of a loved one, caregiver, or care received; chose to make a monthly contribution, made a gift of securities, or left a legacy gift in your will; connected with us through mail, email, phone or in person, or joined one of our events; you have made a difference. If you have donated your time, or lent your voice, story or media channel to amplify our cause: you have been there with us. If you have led, sponsored or attended one of our two cause-driven Visions and Miracle galas, our beloved Uplands Golf Club Heart Golf Tournament, or championed one of our community initiatives: you have brought heart and celebration to our cause.
I leave you with this: it is my great privilege to be surrounded by an extraordinary group of people—leaders, philanthropists, caregivers, and community members united by a shared belief: that we can do more, that we can be better, and that we have the power to transform healthcare for our families, for our neighbours, for our Island.
You are a constant reminder that there is good. We have excellent hospitals and excellent care teams—and we have colleagues in care that are ambitious and determined to make it even better. We are delighted to propel more advancements in the future, all together.
Joined by my incredible team here at the Foundation and our dedicated volunteer Board of Directors, thank you for a most impactful 2024-25 year—and thank you for the year to come.
All together, we have done so much.
All together, we will continue to do even more.
Avery Brohman
CEO, Victoria Hospitals Foundation
