LIFTING SPIRITS AND WARMING HEARTS AT ROYAL INLAND HOSPITAL
A compassionate local couple came up with a plan to boost morale amongst the healthcare teams at RIH. In response to the disheartening protests that took place in front of Royal Inland Hospital (RIH) on September 1st, 2021.
This couple has utilized the services offered by Royal Inland Hospital for close to 50 years and they recall always being treated with the utmost care and professionalism. To pay it forward, especially in light of recent circumstances, this thoughtful couple purchased an abundance of gift cards from local restaurants and had them distributed amongst the hardworking staff at RIH. They purchased gift cards from Earls, Mason’s Kitchen + Bar, Mittz Kitchen, Peter’s Pasta and Romeos Kitchen and Spirits, – all of which generously donated more gift cards of their own in support of the cause. This was the couple’s way of showing the staff at RIH how much their ongoing perseverance to keep our community healthy means to them. They hope that the healthcare staff at RIH will use these gift cards as an opportunity to reconnect with family and friends, recharge, and enjoy a meal on them while simultaneously supporting local business.
“We think everyone in our city benefits from our hospital, many individuals and businesses have inspired us with their acts of kindness toward healthcare professionals, and so we hope that this inspires others to show their expression of appreciation in any way they can,” explains the couple.
As it seems, others have followed suit with similar gestures of kindness. Over the last few weeks the RIH Foundation has received an outpouring of thoughtful gifts inspired by the giving of others in support of healthcare professionals.
Thanks to members and business owners of the Vietnamese Community, the RIH Foundation has received hundreds of additional gift cards to hand out to the staff at RIH. When one person proposed the idea of doing something in support of healthcare workers, everyone came together and pooled their offerings. The RIH Foundation would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Chau and Huong, John and Tam, Trinh and Kim, Phuong, Huong, Thuy, Lan, and Vinh for their generous contributions.
“We all agreed that we had to do something to show our gratitude to the healthcare workers at RIH after we saw what happened at the protests on September 1st. At one time or another, we all need their help, their dedication, their compassion, and their kindness, if not for ourselves, for our family members. So in their time of stress like right now, we wanted to make a kind gesture to uplift their spirits. What we did was just a very small gesture but we hope that other communities will join in to let healthcare workers know that they are not fighting this pandemic alone and they always have our support and gratitude,” says a member of the Vietnamese Community.
So far, the RIH Foundation has received in-kind donations from the following generous local businesses:
- Chateau De Nails
- Son Mai Spa
- Bubble Tea Time & Waffles
- Crystal Nails
- Nina’s Nails
- Pho Viet & Donut King
- Watercress Vietnamese Restaurant
Complimentary to this, a group of creative women from the Savona Seniors Ladies Craft Club decided show their appreciation for the healthcare staff at RIH by creating stunning handmade cards filled with words of encouragement for various departments in the hospital.
“To everyone at Kamloops Royal Inland Hospital — Thank you all for your dedication and professional care you have shown over and over again since Covid-19 came to our doors. You are truly heroes each and everyone,” says Yvonne Simmons, a member of the Savona Seniors Ladies Craft Club and the visionary behind this idea.
Along with community groups, local businesses have also been offering their tokens of gratitude in support of healthcare professionals at RIH. The partners at KPMG also gave gift cards from numerous local businesses around the community.
With the inundation of gifts received over the last few weeks, the RIH Foundation created a Staff Appreciation Program where all employees of RIH can register to win weekly prizes. With the help of our incredible community, we hope to lift spirits and warm hearts one day at a time.
