Chair’s Report for 2022

Board of Trustees Chair’s Report
27th Annual General Meeting 2022

My name is Sylvia Fullerton, and I have had the honour of serving as chairperson for the EKM Health Foundation during the past several years.

The Foundation continued to collaborate with the Town of Wolfville, Kings County Recreation, Village of Canning, and Nova Scotia Department of Communities, Culture, and Heritage – Sport and Recreation Division, in a project called the Active Kids/Healthy Kids Strategy. This project promotes active recreational programs for youth in Valley communities, and particularly for the local Steering Committee, youth in the Eastern Kings catchment area.

The Hand-to-Hand to Help project, a cooperative venture between the Foundation and the Wolfville Rotary Club, in conjunction with the Nova Scotia Health Authority’s Cancer Care Program, is now in its seventeenth year, with hundreds of cancer patients and families receiving help through this program. The Board disburses $5,000.00 each year to help those in the greatest need.

The Foundation has continued to work with the Eastern Kings Memorial Community Health Centre throughout the year, supporting its work through our bi-yearly grants program. The EKMCHC was awarded $15,000.00 in 2021 to enhance programs and services.

Due to Covid-19, the Investment Committee and Disbursement Committee met virtually when necessary, and the Planning Promotion Committee did not meet at all this fiscal year.

During 2021, a public call for disbursement applications was not solicited; instead, the following motion was approved regarding disbursement funding for the 2021 fiscal year.

Disbursement Committee Motion for 2021 Grants Disbursal:

It was MOVED by Sylvia Fullerton and SECONDED by Merle MacDonald:

THAT due to extenuating circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic, the monies set aside for the 2021 Disbursement Period (approximately $150,000.00) be divided between two Nova Scotia Health Authority requests.

The first request being from the Valley Regional Hospital Foundation asking for monies to replace the
CT Scanner. The proposed amount for Part 2 of this project is $135,000.00.

The second request being from the EKM Community Health Centre asking for Part 2 of monies to install a dirty-laundry processing room in the Clinic Area to handle potentially infectious laundry. The proposed amount for disbursement is $15,000.00.

MOTION CARRIED.

We are pleased to say that the new CT Scanner is now installed at Valley Regional Hospital and will soon be in use.

Investment Committee

The Investment Committee continued to balance the investments, with a current percentage at 49.8% fixed income/50.2% equities split. As of March 31, 2022, the Scotia investment account balance was $4,241,050.00. The fiscal year-to-date decrease is ($181,558) [a return of (4.88)%], with a 12 month increase of $78,442 [a return of 1.85%]. Attached please find our Accountant’s Report with further details.

At this time, I would like to express my sincere thanks to all of the Trustees who worked so well together this year in achieving many positive goals. I would also like to extend a special thanks to Shelly Taylor, our Administrative Assistant, for keeping things together and giving continuity to a group of volunteers who made up the Board of Trustees in 2021/2022. My thanks are also extended to Terry Miller our Financial Consultant and to Tim Hergett our Legal Advisor.

Respectfully submitted,

Sylvia Fullerton
Chair, Board of Trustees