Community Volunteers support local Health Care

September means the first day of school – and it also means the first Board meeting for five new community volunteers. They are ready to get to work on the Hospital and Foundation Boards of Directors.

The Winchester District Memorial Hospital (WDMH) Board is welcoming Louise Arsenault, Tyson Roffey, Brenda Toonders, and Bill Woods to the team. Trish Elliott is joining the WDMH Foundation Board.

“Thank you to all of the Board members who share their time and expertise and bring diverse skills to the table,” notes WDMH CEO Cholly Boland. “They help us fulfill our commitment to compassionate excellence.”

The new WDMH Board members are:

Louise Arsenault has been coming to WDMH since 1970 when she worked as a public health nurse visiting new Moms at the hospital. She also taught prenatal classes. Five years ago, Louise started volunteering with the WDMH Auxiliary and now serves as Co-Chair. She will represent the Auxiliary on the Board. “I had four of my five children at WDMH, including a set of twins,” says Louise. “I’ve always loved the hospital and I’m happy to give back.” Louise lives in Winchester.

Tyson Roffey has a long history with local hospitals. One of his first jobs was as a dishwasher at a Cornwall hospital. He served as a hospital executive at both CHEO and Sick Kids, with expertise in information technology. Being on the WDMH Board is a logical next step. “I put my hand up because I believe WDMH is a cornerstone of the community and I want to see rural hospitals grow and flourish. I want to help influence and guide that.” Tyson currently works at Nova Networks and lives in Greely.

Brenda Toonders brings a wealth of expertise in business, quality and performance management from both private business and homecare health settings. She currently works with the local Great River Ontario Health Team. She has lived in Winchester for 40 years and has always been a supporter of having excellent care close to home. She says: “I’m excited to contribute to WDMH and hope that my experiences complement the team.”

Bill Woods was born and raised in Metcalfe. With six kids and eight grandchildren, he says his family has seen first-hand how well-run WDMH is. “I played every sport and the WDMH team saved my life a few times,” he remembers. “Having the hospital so close by gives everyone peace of mind.” Bill worked at IBM for 33 years and now works at Kyndryl Canada (an IBM spin-off). He brings advanced skills and experience in business management, strategic planning and quality.

The WDMH Foundation Board is also welcoming a new member. “Our Board provides oversight and ac- countability and connects the Foundation to our local communities. We are very grateful for their support,” adds WDMH Foundation Managing Director Kristen Casselman.

Trisha Elliott says she likes to raise money for good causes. Her interest in WDMH was heightened by the wonderful care that her brother received. “We knew there was something wrong and I was so grateful that Winchester took it seriously and got us the help he needed,” she explains.

Baldwin's Birds

Why I shouldn't make assumptions!

“When things settled down, I contacted the Foundation office to ask how I could help.” Trish is an ordained United Church minister and fundraiser. She has worked with The Ottawa Mission and the United Church of Canada, raising funds to support the community. Her whole family hails from the Seaway area. Trisha now divides her time between Ottawa and the Seaway. Welcome and thank you to these community volunteers!

An interesting week for some rather unusual bird activity, both in the garden and away from home, but still fairly local. One of our NGTimes readers, living near the Rideau River, had the good fortune to see and photograph a Great Egret, a rarity in this neck of the woods. They also got a great view of a Turkey Vulture when it landed on their property. I myself spotted a couple of them locally and a half dozen of them when having to drive between Winchester and Chesterville passing within the proximity of the town dump!

Garden-wise, the usual crowd is here, but I did take a second look at what I had wrongly assumed was either a Chipping Sparrow or a Tree Sparrow, and I'm glad I did. On getting a reasonable picture of it and consulting my bird books, I realised that my first assumption was wrong and that it was in fact, a Field Sparrow that I was looking at. Its major distinguishing feature was its pinkish colored bill, which differs from the bills of the other two birds. Of course there are other very slight differences in the head and wing markings when in compared with the others, but the bill color seems to be the main one. The realization that I was taking things for granted when looking at the everyday birds was a bit of an eye-opener, so I'll have to be more careful in the future.

With the weather getting a lot cooler than earlier in the season, I was also very surprised to witness a Robin taking a bath, but it did, and very deliberately so too. It wasn't just a quick hop in and a quick rinse and out, but quite a prolonged session of in and out several times, with lots of fluffing of feathers and a lot of water flying around. It was very entertaining while it lasted, and I'm glad I didn't miss it. Perhaps you have also seen some of these strange but not abnormal things occurring, but if you haven't, then make sure you keep an eye out to enjoy them too. Stay safe and well.

Cheers, John Baldwin