The Consortium for Nursing History Inquiry in the UBC School of Nursing is holding a panel discussion for Black History Month called: Black (in)Visibility: Black Nurses in Canada Who Paved the Way on Feb 25 from 3 – 4:30 PM EST. The panel is free and open to the public.
The Registered Nurses Foundation of BC pays special tribute to Helen Louise Shore and is grateful for the support we have received in honour of her memory.
Helen made many meaningful connections and contributions during her distinguished life in nursing. She worked in Community Health Nursing and then dedicated her career to Nursing Education.
Helen L. Shore also completed a book at age 95 entitled “Shore to Shore: A record of the Shore family of Sheffield, England, to London, Ontario” describing some of her family stories dating back to the 15th Century – including one very famous family member, Florence Nightingale.
Helen earned many honours for her numerous contributions and achievements. She was also an active community volunteer supporting nursing and community service organizations. Helen touched many nurses and countless others through her lifetime. She is missed by many who share deep admiration for Helen’s contributions.
On behalf of the Board and Staff of the Registered Nurses Foundation of BC I would like to wish you a safe and happy holiday season. We are all very aware that the pandemic has posed formidable challenges for everyone this year and that this holiday season will be much quieter and less festive than many of us would like. We hope that despite this you can all find ways to connect with loved ones in safe ways so this year’s celebrations are still meaningful and comforting.
We also know that within a few months we will be past the worst of the pandemic so we will can begin to regain our “normal” lives. Like all of you we can hardly wait! With this in mind, we want to wish you a safe and healthy 2021 filled with good times with love – even if we will have to wait for spring for it to happen.
Heather Mass RN Msc, Interim President
on behalf of the Volunteer Board of Directors
Registered Nurses Foundation of BC
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 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. We have also been exploring some new opportunities for RNFBC going forward and are looking forward to sharing them with all of our members, donors and friends.
Since the opportunities to meet 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 in the new year. 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 before years end. We need and depend on your support!
Also, as this difficult year comes to a close and we consider the horrendous impact this pandemic has had on our loved ones and colleagues, we hope you also think about the amazing skill nurses have demonstrated and sacrifices they have made 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
Last winter our St. Joseph’s Alumnae executive were excited, busily planning our 100th year anniversary in 2020 when COVID-19 hit. This got me thinking back to my early nursing days and realized how much a bursary can help a student nurse and how very important the established bursaries like St. Joseph’s are. In talking with RNFBC on how to promote our bursary, we thought what better way than celebrating St. Joseph’s SON 100th anniversary with a story about my personal nursing journey and legacy.
Many students know that nursing is going to be their chosen career, but that wasn’t me! As a teen, I was obsessed with my sports, ie. basketball and skating in the winter, and softball all summer! So, my dream was to be a P. E. Teacher. That all changed in a moment’s time at age 16 when I was a passenger in a head-on 3 car collision. There were 15 young people involved, with one dead and all but one injured, and most with fractures. This was in the days before seat belts so I was sent flying through the front windshield. The boy I was with, who was our driver, pulled me out of the car then laid down and died. He had severed his aorta. I had multiple injuries, internal bleeding, head injury, and over 130 sutures to my face and neck (apparently the nurses counted them. I wouldn’t know as I was still unconscious!). I’m telling you all this because, as a result of my time in the hospital, and all I saw and heard changed the course of my life! I got to really like most of my nurses, but there was one that was very impatient with me. I remember her forcing red Jello on me, and telling me if I didn’t eat it I’d have to have the IV back in! It took a lot of years before I could eat red Jello on my own! I also remember the staff talking about me but I couldn’t open my eyes or say anything! This was something I was very aware of when I was nursing and always remember the sensitivity of the patient’s feelings. Because of my injuries I was out of high school for 2 years before I was accepted at St. Joseph’s here in Victoria. I would always get the same thing told to me – “your marks are good, but we can’t take a chance on you, health-wise.” Thank God for the wonderful nuns who were willing to give me a chance! So I graduated in 1964, but did have to make up about 5 months because of having pneumonia in my last year, but I did make it!
My 1964 Graduating Class
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55 years later….that’s me in the centre in a striped sweater!
Early in her career, Lorelei was on the board of directors for the Registered Nurses Association of BC representing Vancouver Metropolitan District. Moreover, here in 2020, we welcome her back to RNFBC (formerly RNABC) as the newest member of our board team!
Lorelei is a lifelong learner and often embeds in a course of something as she works:
Her contributions to the nursing committee both in staff positions and as a volunteer are impressive:
A new series of posters “Be Kind, Be Calm, Be Safe” will benefit registered nursing students with partial proceeds going to the Registered Nurses Foundation of BC.
Printed on 100lb stock at a print shop in East Vancouver, these colourful designs feature Dr. Bonnie Henry’s three-part mantra.
Available for a limited time.
Nursing Week is the annual celebration of the nursing profession and is held every May to coincide with the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. Nursing Week 2020 marks the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birthday and the World Health Organization (WHO) has designated 2020 as the Year of Nurse and Midwife to honor her birthday.
The Registered Nurses Foundation of BC is proud to recognize the dedicated registered nurses and nurse practitioners who provide quality care for their patients, clients and long-term care residents. From the bedside to the classroom and the boardroom, they make the world a healthier place.
We have nurses making a difference in our communities every day. This is shining through during the pandemic. This will continue to be true long after the pandemic subsides. Thank you to all nurses for the differences you make.
So in this the Year of the Nurse and Midwife, thank you to all including our nurses themselves who support their fellow nurses and the future of nursing alongside the Registered Nurses Foundation of BC.
Main elements of BC Government support for post-secondary students, including nursing students, is described below for your easy reference:
>1. The nurses education bursary….https://studentaidbc.ca/explore/grants-scholarships/nurses-education-bursary
>>2. Starting March 30, 2020, B.C. student loan payments are automatically frozen for six months.
>>3. Province boosts emergency funding supports for students:
https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2020AEST0018-000615
Registered Nurses Foundation of BC
co-located in shared office space with the Hervana Collective at
506 – 595 Howe Street
Vancouver, BC V6C 2T5
Telephone: 604.739.1944
Email: info@rnfbc.ca
