What a year this has been for all of us!   As with almost all non-profit societies it has certainly been challenging for us to carry out our mandate this past year. That said, we are proud to report that we still managed to provide 182 bursaries to BC’s nurses to assist with their basic and advanced education in 2020.  We have also been exploring some new opportunities for RNFBC going forward and are excited to share them with all of our members, donors, and friends.

Since the opportunities to meet in person are very limited right now due to Covid 19, we have chosen the option given by BC Societies to not hold an AGM in 2020 and instead push it forward to a date in early 2021.   We will let you know when and where it will be as soon as the date is set.  Meantime, if you are not an active member, please consider becoming one so you can join us.  If you are a member, please be sure to renew your present membership in order to have voting rights at the AGM.  You can access our membership page at www.rnfbc.ca/membership.  We need and depend on your support and valued input!

With the difficult year that was 2020 now closed and as we move into 2021, we consider the horrendous impact this pandemic has had on our loved ones and colleagues and hope you also think about the amazing skills nurses have demonstrated and the sacrifices they have made and continue to make in caring for so many sickened by it.  As a way to recognize and support their work, please consider making a meaningful one-time or monthly gift to RNFBC to help support our current and future nurses.  The process details can be found on www.rnfbc.ca.

In closing, on behalf of the RNFBC Board of Directors and our terrific staff, I would also like to thank you all for your interest and support.  It means more than you know!  Until we can actually meet in person, please stay in touch – and stay safe.

Best regards:

Heather Mass RN Msc, Interim President
on behalf of the Volunteer Board of Directors
Registered Nurses Foundation of BC

by loving friends and family of Mary Bellis

Margaret Mary Bellis’s love of children is rumoured to have begun as the second child of six. Mary’s genuineness, curiosity, friendliness, compassion and loyalty to her family, friends and colleagues are legendary and reminiscent of the attributes of one who was raised in a large family. Her curiosity, sense of adventure, outgoingness and adaptability are likely linked to having a father who was a Wing Commander with the RCAF, as this meant she and her family experienced life in multiple cities across Canada. Upon her father’s retirement in 1962, the Bellis family relocated to the Vancouver area from Ottawa, finally settling in Burnaby in 1964.

Mary’s passion as a caregiver was a large part of what drove her to choose nursing as her profession. Mary went to nursing school at St. Michael’s in Lethbridge, Alberta in 1970. Her first nursing job was as a pediatric nurse at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops in 1973, finally moving back to Burnaby to work at the VGH’s Health Centre for Children in the mid-1970s. Mary’s dedication to lifelong learning was evident early in her career when she pursued a specialty certification in neurological nursing from Foothill’s Hospital in Calgary, AB. Mary returned to BC and moved from VGH to BC Children’s Hospital (BCCH) Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) when it opened in 1982, where she worked until her retirement. She was a pioneer in family centered care before it was labelled as such. Mary recognized the impact an intensive care unit had on children and their families and she made it her mission to create a warm, child friendly environment for the children and their families. Mary role modelled excellence in her clinical skills, decision making and communication while caring for her patients and their families.