From left: RN Rebecca Cebulak, Angie Fraser – Clinical Manager of the Special Care Nursery and Paediatric Care, Jimmy and Leona Vanderharst, RN Melissa Boakes and RN Lori Van Velzen.

#ThankfulThursday gives the Brant Community Healthcare System Foundation a regular opportunity to recognize and thank the important individuals, businesses and organizations in our community that help to make a difference to the quality and effectiveness of our local healthcare system.

This week’s Thankful Thursday feature:

#Thankful Thursday: Leona and the Vanderharst family supports Paediatric Care

A big Thankful Thursday THANK YOU to Leona Vanderharst and her family and friends for their selfless act of philanthropic giving on June 6.

To celebrate Leona’s eighth birthday the Vanderharst family asked family, friends and colleagues to contribute entertainment items in lieu of birthday gifts to help our youngest patients and their family members visiting the Paediatric Department at the Brantford General.

“I just wanted to help some other little kids,” said Leona, shrugging.

Parents Renee and Jim said they still have regular birthday parties throughout their children’s lives, but suggest that every third birthday their children consider a donation to a local charities instead. This year Leona Vanderharst chose the BCHS as the recipient for her charitable birthday celebration.

Jim, currently studying as a Developmental Services Worker at Fanshawe College, stressed the importance of selflessness in childhood development and explained how their children embrace and enjoy the process of receiving and organizing donations, and how they view the donation day as an event on par with their personally family birthday celebration.

On June 6 the Vanderharst family arrived at the Brantford General for their donation day event with a car filled with bags of colouring books, colouring pencils, markers, board games and over 40 different DVD movies for the entire range of age groups in our Paediatric patient spectrum.

Thank you Leona, Jimmy, Renee and Jim Vanderharst and their family and friends for their support, their selfless act of giving and their dedication to local healthcare. You are all our Thankful Thursday focus for the week of Thursday, June 13, 2019.

If you or your family are interested in donating to the BCHS Foundation, forming an event or starting a monthly giving program to support a strong healthcare system for our community, call the BCHS Foundation office at 519-751-5510 or email: foundation@bchsys.org.

Donate online today and support local healthcare for every family in Brantford, Brant County, Six Nations of the Grand River, Mississaugas of the Credit and the surrounding communities!

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