Research staff at St. Boniface Hospital sent financial support directly to where it was needed – St. Boniface Hospital, in Haiti.
Communications Manager Bill Peters made the connection to the namesake hospital through an automated Google search of “St. Boniface”. The search function provides notification whenever St. Boniface is mentioned anywhere on the web. “I noticed one morning that there were more links (to St. Boniface)provided than usual; I clicked on one of them and read about St. Boniface Hospital in Haiti, and how they were affected by the earthquake” says Peters. “I contacted them and asked if they had heard about St. Boniface in Winnipeg, and they hadn’t. We’ve exchanged a few emails since then, and we’ve visited each others’ websites”.
St. Boniface Hospital (Haiti) Development Director Paul Fanning says he was surprised and thankful for the contact. Says Fanning, “We have been contacted St. Boniface Hospital Research in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. They are collecting donations to partner with us on earthquake relief. We thank them for their solidarity and support. To the many people who have been and continue to be so generous, we say, “Thank you, and may God bless you!”
$1200 was raised by “passing the hat” around the Research Centre, and many Centre staff have found it enlightening to read the blogs from hospital workers in Haiti. “It’s nice to know that there is a personal connection between our centre and their hospital”, says Karen Swanson. “You like to know that your donation is going where it is really going to make a difference”.
To learn more about St. Boniface Hospital (Haiti), click here