It’s the season of giving and brokers across Ontario did just that with a donation of $110K to the Registered Nurses’ Foundation of Ontario (RNFOO).
RNFOO was chosen as the official charity of the IBAO’s 2022 Annual Convention in October, where the funds were raised. The foundation, who is known for providing scholarships, grants and awards to Ontario nurses and nursing students to enhance and advance the practice of nursing was ecstatic to receive the donation—marking the largest in the Foundation’s history.
It is no surprise that the past three pandemic-wrought years have marked some of the most challenging in the world of healthcare, with front line nursing staff being some of the most deserving of extra assistance through charitable donations.
The funds for this incredible donation came from a portion of every registration to the IBAO Annual Convention—the 2022 event broke historical records in terms of attendance. In addition, IBAO CEO Colin Simpson announced an additional contribution of $10,000 in the names of the four panelists: Matthew Turack, Group President, CAA Insurance; Rowan Saunders, President & CEO, Definity Financial; Louis Gagnon, Chief Executive Officer, Intact Financial Corporation’s Canadian Operations; and Carol Jardine, EVP & President, Canadian P&C Operations, Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company.
Thank you to everyone who donated to this importance cause!
“We are so grateful for this generous donation—it will go a long way toward supporting future nurses and helping today’s nurses continue their education—making improvements in patient care. As we all know, Ontario is experiencing a critical nursing shortage, so it’s never been more important to encourage more people to become nurses and enable practising nurses to realize their full potential.” —Margaret Blastorah, RNFOO President
“Nurses are unsung heroes here in Ontario and given the challenges frontline health care workers in Ontario have had to face in recent years, it was important to show our support for them and to do what we could to assist the people looking to join to their ranks.” —IBAO President Joseph Carnevale
“In the past few years, almost everyone has either personally or had someone close to them have some interaction with our health care system,” “It’s crucially important that we support nurses, because they are who care for all of us when we need them—they are truly the immune system of our society.” —Colin Simpson, IBAO CEO