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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

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:

• Graduated from Vancouver General Hospital School of Nursing.
• Baccalaureate and Masters in Nursing from the University of Victoria.
• Holds a Provincial Instructor’s Diploma from Vancouver Community College, and a Prosci Change Management Certificate.

Her contributions to the nursing committee both in staff positions and as a volunteer are impressive:

• Currently, Lorelei works for Interior Health Authority (IHA), as a Practice Lead for the Mental Health & Substance Use Network following her role as a Practice Lead for Access & Efficiency with IHA.
• She sits on the IHA Nursing Scope of Practice Council and Clinical Records Standardization Committee.
• She has previously worked in Child & Adolescent Mental Health at Children’s’ & Women’s (C&W) Health Centres as a point of care nurse, nurse clinician and nurse educator. She later moved into professional practice as the Professional Practice Lead for Nursing and Lead for the office of Policy for C&W.

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

• This program provides up to $1 million in bursary funding, awarded each year to qualified nursing applicants who demonstrate the greatest financial need.
• You may be eligible if you are enrolled in a full-time nursing program of at least 4 months in length at a designated post-secondary institution that leads to a Certificate, Diploma or Degree recognized for practice in B.C.
• There is no need to apply for this bursary. You will be automatically assessed when you apply for a student loan.

>>2.  Starting March 30, 2020, B.C. student loan payments are automatically frozen for six months.

>>3.  Province boosts emergency funding supports for students:

• B.C. has announced a one-time, $3.5-million investment in emergency financial help for post-secondary students struggling due to the COVID-19 outbreak. “students attending any of the 25 public post-secondary institutions in the province are eligible for the new funding, which is being added to regular annual emergency funds. The money is designated for students facing an unexpected emergency which affects their ability to finish their studies.”

https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2020AEST0018-000615

Thank you to all our “Supernurses”!!!  You are our heroes!

We shout, cheer & clap and bang our pots because you are an amazing, dedicated group of human beings we are so proud to call “our peeps”…..thank you, thank you…