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Grahams receive first Lorna Bethell Legacy Award

January 28, 2015   ·   0 Comments

By Bill Rea
David and Marty Graham have always shown their willingness to help their community, and that was recognized recently.
The Inglewood couple were named the first recipients of the Lorna Bethell Legacy Award.
Bethell was the founder of the Bethell Hospice facility in Inglewood.
The presentation was made by Tim Powell, vice-chair of the Bethell Hospice Foundation Board.
“We’re all supporters of Bethell in one form or another,” he remarked, adding there is still work to be done to ensure the fundraising efforts continue to be successful. “The money is well-used, I assure you.”
He said the Grahams have been there from the start, making significant contributions to campaigns.
“They are the perfect choice to receive the first Lorna Bethell Legacy Award,” Powell declared.
Mr. Graham said they had learned they would be receiving the award about a month before the presentation.
He praised those on hand, stressing they have all contributed too.
“What a wonderful group of people got behind this, and you are the people to thank,” he added.
Mrs. Graham recalled that coyotes used to occupy the site.
“We’re very pleased that it’s come to such a successful outcome,” she said.
Emcee Tayler Parnaby was pleased with the turnout at the ceremony, which was held at Fines Ford Lincoln in Bolton, observing it spoke to the support the facility has in the community, and how fortunate the community is to have it.
“Bethell Hospice is available at no cost to everyone in need, regardless of financial circumstances,” he said.
He also pointed to the importance of community events to the Foundation. There were 35 such events held last year, or roughly the equivalent of one every 10 days. These events are necessary because the foundation needs to raise the funds to be able to continue to provide services without charging a fee. He added they have to raise about $1 million annually.
One such event was held in August at Brampton Flight Centre (BFC) in Caledon. It was a Light Up the Runway walk, and it attracted about 60 participants.
Daphne Parsons, financial controller at BFC was the organizer of the event, which she said “was held on a beautiful August evening.”
The runway at the facility was lined with candles, and she said that created a magical mood.
“It was an opportunity to support a great cause, and at the same time, do something out of the ordinary,” she remarked.
Parsons had several words of praise for the hospice facility.
“It’s calm, it’s peaceful and so well laid out and thought out,” she said, adding she had seen the facility and realized she could have used it when her mother needed something like that.
She added her employers at BFC had wanted her to organizing a fundraising event for a local cause, and she thought of Bethell. Parsons also said the event gave them a chance to learn a lot more about the organization.
“Thank you to all at Bethell for doing such amazing work,” she said.
She also said there is talk at BFC of holding a similar event next year.
Nell Crathern, whose daughter-in-law Denise Des Rocher was a resident at the facility during the last year, commented she and her husband Roger first heard of the proposal around 2003. They had just returned from a trip to England, and learned a lot about how hospices operated there.
“We learned how important it is to have a hospice and how useful it is to the caregivers,” she remarked, adding they were very excited when they heard about the local proposal and quickly offered to help with the development. They were involved in organizing fundraisers like Inglewood Stock, and Crathern said she joined with Doreen Beffort in setting up three fashion shows.
“Fundraising is an awful lot of hard work,” she reflected, but added it’s satisfying when it’s successful.
Crathern said her daughter-in-law had helped out too as a kitchen volunteer, and eventually had to use the facility when she got cancer.
She said she was grateful for the vision of Lorna Bethell that resulted in the facility.
“Bethell Hospice will always be a large part of our lives,” she said.
Parnaby mentioned that Crathern had captained the Friends and Family of Denise team in this year’s annual Hike for Bethell Hospice. The hikes have been going on for a number of years, and there have been 72 teams taking part, sometimes year after year. The hike in 2011 raised about $24,000, but the most recent one took in more than $105,000.
As well, he said Scotiabank in Bolton had pledged to match money raised at the recent ceremony up to $5,000, and some anonymous donors had agreed to bring the matching funds up to $10,000.
Parnaby observed that government funding accounts for only 60 per cent of the money needed to run the facility, meaning the Bethell Hospice Foundation needs to raise about $1 million per year to make sure it keeps going and the services are free.
“It’s a real hard, cold financial fact,” he remarked.
He added that the community has donated more than $2.5 million over the last four years, and that has enabled the facility to care for in excess of 500 residents and make over 5,000 community in-home visits.

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