Karen Finner is a Medical Radiation Technician and Team Leader at Kemptville District Hospital (KDH). In 1999, she was in her mid twenties and in her first week of employment at the hospital, when she discovered a lump in her breast. Karen immediately contacted her doctor and had a mammogram. What followed was a diagnosis of Stage One cancer and three years of treatment, including surgery and chemotherapy. Concurrent to losing her hair, she planned a wedding and brought home a puppy. She called them “great distractions” during a difficult time and “happily, her hair grew back in time for the wedding”. Karen gives credit to her husband, family, friends and colleagues who helped get her through her cancer. In an article Karen wrote for KDH Health Matters in 2012, she shared, “They fundraised and walked and shaved their heads and stayed up all night to raise money for cancer research… Thankfully I was lucky to beat it; I have two great kids and I live life to the fullest.”

Upon reflection, she feels her experience with breast cancer heightened her professional commitment to the importance of women having a mammogram.

Now, some twenty-five years later, she asked friends to contribute “$25 for 25”.

Karen explained: “To mark this 25-year milestone I would like to give back to the cause by asking 25 of my friends to consider donating “$25 for 25 years” to the Kemptville District Hospital CT Scanner in memory of someone in your life impacted by cancer.”

She added, “CT technology has become a basic diagnostic tool even in the smallest hospitals. Almost everyone is going to have a CT at some point in their life. CT scans are not just for strokes, brain injuries, trauma, heart conditions, lung cancer, back pain, kidney disease and so on. CT scans are important in cancer diagnosis, staging, measuring response to treatment and giving peace of mind that the cancer has not returned.”

Karen described her “ask” of $25 as a win-win. “You are donating to your own health!”

The tally for Karen’s initiative was $1,325. Karen said, “This is wonderful! I am so excited that I helped (with the Crossroads Campaign).”

Joanne Mavis, KDH Foundation Executive Director, was also thrilled with the results and said, “we so appreciate Karen’s efforts in raising funds for the CT Scanner. We know that having this technology in Kemptville will be an outstanding asset for the community, bringing urgent patient care closer to home.”

For more information and stories about the CT Scanner Crossroads Campaign and how you can donate, see the Campaign page

Proceeds from Split the Pot Lottery are divided among participating hospitals in Ontario.

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The count is in! We are so pleased to announce that the sold-out KDH 14th Annual Golf Tournament held on July 23 raised $60,887 for the CT Scanner Crossroads Campaign! We are getting steadily closer to bringing the CT Scanner to Kemptville District Hospital.

A BIG Shout-Out to all our SPONSORS. Thank you also to our donors of the live and silent auctions. "Salute" to our great volunteers and the eQuinelle Golf Club staff and facilities for contributing to a great and memorable day. And of course, thank you to all 148 golfers!!! See you on the greens next year!

Meanwhile, please enjoy the video memories of the 2024 Golf Tournament. Our deep appreciation to volunteer Anna Van Adrichem-Rochon for both her photography and producing the video. She really captured the fun on the course and at the Clubhouse.

An extremely successful Bingo held on Canada Day at the Kemptville Legion, Branch 212, resulted in an $1,800 donation to the Kemptville District Hospital Foundation’s CT Scanner Crossroads Campaign. A capacity crowd of 110 happy bingo players attended the afternoon Bingo.

Mike Amirault, Lottery Chair, along with his wife, Debbie, organized the well received event. He explained, “the support and strong turnout was all because of the cause: the CT Scanner. It just shows the enormous community support for this project.”

Mike and Debra, along with Legion President and Veteran, Jay Tousaw, recently presented the $1,800 cheque to Joanne Mavis, KDH Foundation Executive Director. She expressed her appreciation for the Bingo donation which also includes a contribution from Kemptville Legion Branch 212. She said, “We are so grateful for this gift to the Crossroads Campaign and the long-standing support from the Legion and the community. We are now closer to our goal and the finish line of $2.2 million.  We know that the CT Scanner will bring quality diagnostic service closer to home and peace of mind to patients and families.”

Mike and Debbie said the Legion intends to do this Canada Day Bingo annually in support of the hospital foundation.

For more information and stories about the CT Scanner Crossroads Campaign and how you can donate, see Kemptville District Hospital Foundation's Crossroads Campaign

The Friendship Lunch Committee recently made a $2,000 donation to the CT Scanner Crossroads Campaign.

The Friendship Lunch Program has been running for over forty years from September to June, and twice a month during July and August. Each lunch averages 80-100 participants and is a way to provide food, fun and friendship every Friday. Presently held at St. John’s United Church, 400 Prescott Street, Kemptville, it is open to anyone in the community at no charge. A donation box is available. Dedicated volunteers from five groups help make this program happen and include parishioners from St. James Anglican Church, Kemptville Pentecostal Church, Holy Cross Catholic Church, St. John’s United Church as well as the House of Lazarus.

The donation to the KDH Foundation represents “free will” offerings from the lunch participants.

Joanne Mavis, Executive Director of the Kemptville District Hospital (KDH) Foundation said she was thrilled to receive this donation to the CT Scanner Campaign. “We are very grateful for this wonderful gift from the community. We know that the CT Scanner will benefit all of us with a quicker diagnosis and treatment, closer to home.”

The KDH Foundation is one of three recipients of the Friendship Lunch Committee’s generosity which includes the House of Lazarus and the Salvation Army.

For more information and stories about the CT Scanner Crossroads Campaign and how you can donate, see Kemptville District Hospital Foundation's Crossroads Campaign

Turning fifty and hearing “the buzz” from her clients about the CT Scanner has motivated Kim Stapleton to direct her fundraising efforts to the Kemptville District Hospital (KDH) Foundation’s Crossroads Campaign.

With her fiftieth birthday on the horizon, she has suggested to her guests that in lieu of gifts, please donate to the CT Scanner. At her party there will be a cash box and online devices to make donations or guests may gift online in advance of her party.

Kim shared that she was a qualified Personal Trainer and Aquafit Instructor prior to her current twenty-six-year career as a policewoman. She has requalified her fitness credentials over the last seven years and operates a Fitness Studio in Kemptville. This summer she is also instructing aquafit in the Kemptville Pool. She explained, “it’s fun for me! Fitness is my passion.”

Another CT Scanner fundraising event she is planning is Step Aerobics which will be held in the upper-level parking lot at KDH on August 18, 8:30 am. “Please save the date!” she said.  A Donation Box will be available for participants.

On Thanksgiving Weekend, October 14, Kim will be spinning on her bike for six incredible hours! Others can join her for one-hour sessions (or more) on one of the nine bikes she has available in her Fitness Studio. Everyone donates into a big jar, including members of her family – and pledge by the minute or hour or however they wish.

In the past, Kim has directed her fundraising efforts to Parkinsons, Cancer and the Beth Donovan Hospice. She explained that her choices were prompted by personal connections to the charities.

This year, she wants to help support the CT Scanner. She knows that this diagnostic tool will be a great asset to the growing North Grenville community where she has lived for nine years, and it will save long trips to other hospitals for patients who need a CT Scan.

Joanne Mavis, Executive Director, KDH Foundation commented: “We are delighted that Kim has chosen to support the CT Scanner Crossroads Campaign! Every donation brings us closer to our goal of bringing better and urgent care close to home.”

For more photos, stories and information about the CT Scanner Campaign and how you can help get us across the campaign finish line: The Crossroads Campaign

To contact Kim Stapleton: KS Fitness, Let's connect! - ksfit (jimdo.com)

At the well attended June 17 Groundbreaking Ceremony for the CT Scanner at Kemptville District Hospital (KDH), Margret Norenberg, Chair, KDH Foundation Board of Directors, addressed the gathering which included Frank Vassallo, KDH CEO, Steve Clark, MPP, Mayor Nancy Peckford, Jeff Nolan, Chair, KDH Board of Directors, Dr Colin Sentongo, Chief of KDH Staff, Mrs. Louise Tallman, Chair of the CT Scanner Campaign and many others, including donors, physicians and staff. She thanked everyone for coming and said that “procuring a CT Scanner has long been a dream for us”. 

She explained that “this achievement is not merely about acquiring a piece of equipment; it is about investing in the health and well-being of every individual within our community and beyond. I am delighted to share that we have raised $1.6 million and we are working hard to raise the remaining $600,000 needed to make the final payment of $2.2 million.”

She expressed her sincere gratitude to everyone who has contributed to the Campaign and reviewed some highlights of the CT Scanner Crossroads Campaign.

The Foundation Annual Mail to the community raised over $150,000. The exciting Camaro Car Lottery last summer raised over $200,000. A long list of community organized events included golf and baseball tournaments, the Little Black Dress, Fashion Shows and choir performances, book and lemonade sales, which raised close to $200,000. Service Clubs from North Grenville and beyond, including Kemptville, Manotick, Merrickville and South Mountain have added another $70,000 to the Campaign. Financial support from eQuinelle Homes and the Taggart Parkes Foundation has been impactful. Hundreds of individuals have made personal gifts to the campaign, ranging from $25 to $100,000.

Ms. Norenberg gave special acknowledgement to Mrs. Louise Tallman. She and her family have been long time supporters of the hospital and the community at large.

She also noted that “the tremendous support of the community has demonstrated the power of collective effort. This has made a profound difference, for which I am very grateful.”

In her closing remarks, Ms. Norenberg concluded in the same way she had started by thanking everyone “for their remarkable generosity and unwavering commitment to the well-being of our community.  Together, we have made a lasting impact that will benefit all of us today and in the future.”

In the photo, proudly showing one of the three new Syringe Pumps recently purchased by the KDH Foundation are (l-r) Tanya Deans, RN, Manager, Clinical Services, Dr. Yvonne Kaethler, Anesthesiologist, Dr. Christopher Kirby, Chief of Anaesthesiology and Dr. Colin Sentongo, Chief of Staff. Through the wonderful generosity of The Royal Canadian Legion Ontario Command Branches and Ladies Auxiliary Charitable Foundation and the Royal Canadian Legion Kemptville Branch 212, $15,000 was gifted to the KDH Foundation to make this purchase possible.  A Syringe Pump is a small infusion pump used to gradually administer small amounts of fluid (with or without medication) to a patient. Our pumps in the OR were outdated and not compatible with the hospital’s new software system called EPIC. Thank you Royal Canadian Legion for this gift!