Saugeen Memorial Hospital in Southampton has a new Endostratus CO2 Insufflator thanks in part to a donation of $4,000 from the Florence Nightingale Home Foundation, part of the Order of the Eastern Star although a separate Chartered Corporation.
The donation was made on Tuesday at the hospital when several members of the Nightingale Foundation, a benevolent arms of the Order of the Eastern Star in Ontario, attended.
Peggy South from Brantford made the presentation to Jim Barbour, Chair of the Saugeen Memorial Hospital Foundation.
“In 1913 in Brockville at a meeting of the Florence Nightingale Chapter, a $5 gold coin was donated with the stipulation that it would begin a fund for an Eastern Star Home. The Grand Chapter of Ontario was organized in 1915 and, as further donations came in, a home was purchased in Agincourt and dedicated in 1928 for orphaned children of Eastern Star and Masonic families,” explained Peggy South. “With the development of social agencies to care for children, the residence was changed to accommodate senior members of the Order. Again, as these residents were cared for in other facilities, the home was sold in 1975 and the proceeds from the sale were invested. In 1985, the Florence Nightingale Home Foundation was formed for the disbursements of the income generated on capital along with donations from the membership.”
Six presentations are being being this year and, the Saugeen Memorial Hospital Foundation, was first on the list. The Province is divided into Districts and Southampton falls in District #8. In 2014, the Foundation made a presentation of an Alenti Hygiene Tub Lift to the hospital and District #8 has now received a total of 19 donations totaling approximately $86,500.
The Foundation will go on to Ingersoll, then to the Childrens’ Hospital in Ottawa in November, and in April to Milton, May to Elliot lake and then, finally, in Wallaceburg in June, 2019. By the end of June, it will have made 252 hospital presentations.
