By Kris Wallace
In 2008, a small group of determined supporters set out to champion a critical neighbourhood resource: Mount Saint Joseph Hospital (MSJ). They found a like-minded partner in Scotiabank and launched the very first Scotiabank Feast of Fortune with an informal dinner at a local Chinese restaurant. The fledgling fundraisers brought in an impressive $90,000. This year, that same partnership raised more than $1 million.
Over the last 13 years, Scotiabank Feast of Fortune has grown into a formidable presence on Vancouver’s fundraising calendar – raising $7.7 million for an array of vital medical and surgical equipment at MSJ including a digital mammography machine, an echocardiography machine, a 3D ultrasound breast scanner, and a CT scanner.
Yet, even as the event grows and evolves, its hallmark remains people fundraising in the community, for the community.
Dick Vollet, President and CEO of St. Paul’s Foundation, praises the collaboration between the Foundation, Scotiabank, and its other community partners for the event’s longevity and success.
“St. Paul’s Foundation is proud to have fostered strong, longstanding connections with our attendees, volunteers, and sponsors.” Vollet points to Scotiabank as a prime example of the value partnerships can bring to the partners as well as the wider community.
Daryl Dunn, SVP, Business Banking, Western Canada & Ontario and Lesly Tayles, Senior Vice President, Scotiabank with Dick Vollet, President and CEO, St. Paul's Foundation
Women’s health affects us all
This year, in keeping with that holistic community spirit, the fundraiser was dedicated to supporting women’s health across three critical portfolios: heart, breast, and maternity care. And for the first time, the proceeds will benefit patients at both MSJ and St. Paul’s Hospital.
Women’s cardiac health will get a significant boost with funding for Dr. Karen Humphries and her world-class research into how we diagnose, treat, and care for women at risk of heart disease.
The Maternity Centre at St. Paul’s will get new wireless fetal monitors so women can be more comfortable and more mobile during their labour.
And the Providence Breast Centre at MSJ will get a SPY-PHI imaging machine. This revolutionary device is used during post-mastectomy breast reconstruction. It has been likened to giving surgeons X-ray vision.
Lion dancers kick off Scotiabank Feast of Fortune 2020
“We’re proud to support the largest breast reconstruction centre in the province; to care for the most complex, high-risk pregnancies in BC; and to transform women’s heart health with life-changing research,” says Dr. Janet Kow, Scotiabank Feast of Fortune 2020 Gala Committee Co-Chair and a geriatrician with Providence Health Care (PHC). “With the expanded scope of this year’s fundraising goals, our donors and sponsors have never had a greater impact – or helped more people.”
The company we keep
Scotiabank has partnered with St. Paul’s Foundation for the last 33 years, improving care for countless patients, residents, and caregivers right across PHC.
“Scotiabank is committed to supporting the communities in which we live and work. And this partnership truly fulfils that mandate,” says Lesly Tayles, Senior Vice President, BC & Yukon Region, Scotiabank.
Thirteen years ago, Scotiabank doubled down on their support by becoming the Founding and Title Sponsor of Scotiabank Feast of Fortune. Most recently, they renewed their sponsorship of the gala for eight more years. It’s a remarkable show of solidarity with the Foundation, PHC, and the people of BC.
Tayles is enthusiastic about the far-reaching benefits of this dynamic alliance. “As Scotiabank Feast of Fortune has grown, so has the impact of our support. We are excited about the lives we can change going forward, especially as we get closer to the new St. Paul’s.”
Vollet, too, is excited about the future. “Not only do partnerships amplify our individual strengths, they inspire us to aim higher and to accomplish more.”
Scotiabank Feast of Fortune would not be possible without generous sponsors: Scotiabank; Vivagrand Developments; Edward Yan; Coromandel Properties; Yuyina Creates; Birks; JW Marriott Parq Vancouver; Forefield; Gosen Properties; Joy Ling Chan; New Continental; Sing and Patricia Yeo of Realtors Care; Young Elite Vancouver; Cerner; Nordstrom; Winnie Chung of Royal Pacific Realty; AM1320 CHMB; Fairchild Media Group; Global BC; OMNI; Ming Pao Daily News; Le Doux Ciel; Be Bloom; WestJet; and Coral Beach Escape.
