May 22, 2020
Sarah Hissett, board member with the Wainwright and District Community Health Foundation, grew up in Calgary and moved to Wainwright with her family nearly three years ago. A self-proclaimed “city girl transplanted country”, she loves her small community and enjoys spending time volunteering with the Wainwright and District Community Health Foundation and the Yellowhead East Health Advisory Council.
Story by Amelia Schofield | Photo by Leah Hennel
WAINWRIGHT — Alberta Health Services recognizes May as Health Philanthropy Month. Throughout the month, we’ll be celebrating the foundations and auxiliaries who raise funds for healthcare across the province.
The Faces of the Foundations profile series will introduce you to the individuals who lead healthcare philanthropy across Alberta. This week, we’re pleased to profile Sarah Hissett, board member with Wainwright and District Community Health Foundation.
Why did you get involved with the Wainwright and District Community Health Foundation?
I actually grew up in Calgary and we moved out here to Wainwright three years ago this summer. I’m kind of the city girl transplanted country, and absolutely love our small town. I’ve been volunteering consistently since about eighth grade, and I consider myself a serial volunteer. My family and I previously lived in Airdrie, and when we were there, I served on the Prairie Mountain Health Advisory Council and volunteered with a number of organizations.
When we moved to Wainwright, I knew I needed to find something to be involved in so I transferred my Health Advisory Council position to the Yellowhead East Health Advisory Council and then through that, found out about the foundation. The Health Advisory Council is great, but it covers such a wide region and is a different type of volunteer work, whereas the foundation is specific to Wainwright. It’s my opportunity to give back directly in my community.
Why is healthcare philanthropy important to you?
I have been drawn to healthcare because of my personal experiences with the health system, and because healthcare affects everyone. When you donate toward your local hospital, you know someone in your family is going to use that facility. There are many organizations that need volunteers, but the hospital is one where everyone benefits.
Tell me about some of the foundation’s recent accomplishments.
Our foundation is currently working with the Rotary Club of Wainwright and Bumper to Bumper to raise funds to bring a CT scanner to the Wainwright Health Centre. We’re working with the community to fundraise and it’s great to see some of the events that have happened — especially how kids have come forward. The elementary school has held several events. There have been art sales, kids have sold bracelets, and we even had one little girl selling lemonade last year to raise money. It’s pretty neat to see how the community has stepped up.
Even though we’re focusing primarily on the CT scanner, we still understand that there are other areas of that could use medical equipment. For example, we bought a bladder scanner for home care a few months ago. There was a need for out in the community to make lives better with that piece of equipment, and they were super grateful for us to purchase it.
How can Albertans support the foundation?
It’s thinking of those events that help us raise funds for the CT scanner. Every dollar is a dollar closer to our goal. It’s tough right now because we can’t host big events with COVID-19, but the situation is helping us to think outside the box on how to still get some funds in for the scanner.
We encourage those who are interested in getting involved to visit our website, wdchf.com for more information.
