The month of June is passing all too quickly and many auxilians in the BCAHA family will soon be occupied with summer activities. Some of you may remember the 1959 summer hit by Jerry Keller called “Here comes summer!” And yes, summer IS almost upon us, and, hopefully, most of us will have some time to enjoy those special leisure moments that only summer brings our way. Yet I know many of you will be at your posts throughout the summer, continuing to perform your own particular auxiliary task sorting items in a Thrift Store, serving tea to a resident in a long-term care home or ringing up the sales in a Hospital Gift Shop. Your commitment is to be admired!
The past year has been another successful and busy one for all BCAHA member auxiliaries and this success is reflected in the impressive statistics reported at year-end that appear in the 2016 AGM and Reports booklet. Monies donated to Health Care and Bursaries by our member auxiliaries in 2016 totaled $8,200,000. Something to be proud of indeed! Congratulations to you all for your consistent dedication and tireless volunteer service!
The recent BCAHA Annual Conference held in Kamloops appears to have been a resounding success according to the delegates who took time to complete the conference evaluation forms. The speakers provided valuable and thought-provoking information to the delegates and for those who did not attend the conference, I would encourage you to take the time to view some of the conference presentations which have been posted on the BCAHA website.
The website also features many 2017 conference photos which highlight the Opening Ceremony with BC’s Lt. Governor, Judith Guichon, the various workshops, and the many social opportunities, including the Mix n’ Mingle Hoedown, the fabulous Kamloops Rube Band’s performance, and the Nanakama Drum and Dance group. As part of its program, the Nanakama group included the delegates in some interactive drumming and, even, a conga line that had no shortage of participants as it wended its way around the ballroom on the last morning. If you joined us for the conference, you will certainly enjoy the photos submitted and if you were not able to join us, you will see what you missed!
One of the most successful aspects of the conference was the Town Hall Meeting, which afforded delegates the opportunity for valuable networking through preliminary small discussions, and then through an open question and answer session that covered a wide variety of auxiliary-related topics. A summary of this Town Hall Meeting was compiled at the request of the delegates present and this informative and complete summary has been distributed to all member auxiliaries.
Many of the BCAHA areas in the province will be connecting through Area Conferences and Presidents Meetings in September and October. Please be sure to attend one near you! Various members of the BCAHA Executive Committee will participate in these gatherings and will be most willing to answer any questions or provide support, if asked.
Yes, as the song says, “Here comes summer . . . oh let the sun shine bright on (your) Happy Summer home.” On behalf of the BCAHA Board of Directors, I wish you a very happy and safe summer with your family and friends where ever you may be in our beautiful province.
Until next time,
Warmly,
Lynda Avis, President, British Columbia Association of Healthcare Auxiliaries
