A group of volunteer ambassadors for the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) Foundation’s $60-million Campaign for PRHC to reimagine healthcare at the regional hospital have launched a holiday initiative called the Sharing Tree.
The Sharing Tree invites community members to rally around the hospital by sharing their connections with PRHC — whether it’s a story of exceptional care, a cherished memory, or a message for PRHC’s doctors, nurses, staff, and patients — by writing their words on a cardboard ornament, which will be placed on the tree.
Known as the reImagineers, the group of volunteer ambassadors includes Lisa Couture, a donor to the PRHC Foundation and the owner of Couture Candy Ptbo in downtown Peterborough, where the Sharing Tree launched on Saturday morning (November 23).
“We hope that by sharing our own stories, we can inspire others to reflect on their connections with the hospital,” Couture said. “Each message on the Sharing Tree serves as a reminder of the care, compassion, and support that bring us all together.”
Couture celebrated the launch of the Sharing Tree by announcing a fundraiser at her store in support of the PRHC Foundation. Until Christmas Eve, $1 from each $19.99 mixed candy bag purchased will be donated towards the Campaign for PRHC.
Fundraisers like Couture’s are another way the community can support the hospital, which serves a regional population of up to 600,000 people. PRHC relies on community donations to fund the equipment and technology needed to save and change patient lives.
PRHC Foundation president and CEO Lesley Heighway thanked Couture and the other reImagineers for their dedication and efforts to connect the community and the hospital through the Sharing Tree.
“The tree will spread warmth and encouragement through the community, then bring cheer to the hospital over the holiday season while supporting the Campaign for PRHC,” Heighway said.
The Sharing Tree will travel to locations around the region throughout the holiday season, before coming “home” to PRHC in time for Christmas, where the community’s shared stories and inspiring messages will be on display for doctors, nurses, staff, and patients to read.
For those unable to visit or contribute to the Sharing Tree in person, there’s also an online version at prhcfoundation.ca/sharingtree where stories and messages can be shared digitally, and where the in-person locations of the Sharing Tree are listed.
Nick Beamish, another reImagineer who is also a grateful patient and a donor to the PRHC Foundation, is encouraging people to contribute their stories and messages for the Sharing Tree, whether in person or digitally.
“Help us decorate the tree with hope, warmth, and gratitude,” Beamish said.
