Submitted by April Patry, BPHF Executive Director
Lion’s Head resident, John Tozer, recently established a very special legacy gift for local healthcare; the Myrna Ingleton – John Tozer Appreciation Endowment Fund. The double meaning of ‘appreciation’ perfectly conveys John’s gratitude for local healthcare, and describes the practical growth of the fund, as it will appreciate in time with the interest earned on the capital and as he continues to make annual contributions to the fund.
After learning about the financial benefits that an endowment provides to both a charity and the donor, John felt that this was an opportunity to meaningfully support local care year over year, while honouring his wife Myrna’s memory.
Myrna, a warm, fun-loving, long-time cottager turned resident of Northern Bruce Peninsula was diagnosed with cancer in 2014. The plan to combat her illness meant receiving care locally and in Toronto. Although Princess Margaret Hospital provided cutting edge cancer treatment, it was local care that made the biggest impact on Myrna and John’s life as they fought Myrna’s cancer for 6 years. The relationships that Myrna developed with the nurses at the GBHS Oncology department meant so much to her, providing joy, laughter and friendship while receiving her chemo treatments. And during the last three days of Myrna’s life in May of 2020, the staff of the Lion’s Head Hospital provided absolutely exceptional and attentive care for both Myrna and John. They were “Myrna’s angels of mercy” as John describes them.
“Medicine is not always about healing but is also about the care, compassion and willingness to assist at the end of life” John shared. John also required the emergency services at the Lion’s Head Hospital a few years ago, crediting the staff for saving his life, “the key here is that the rural location of our community means that we are completely dependent on a hospital that is adequately equipped with medical equipment and a team of professionals that can stabilize people in a life threatening health crisis.”
As a very thoughtful and philanthropic token of John’s appreciation for local healthcare, he has recently established the endowment with an $11,000 donation in which the interest earned will be designated to the capital needs of the Lion’s Head Hospital on an annual basis. Additionally, John has made a Legacy Gift in his Will which will top up the Myrna Ingleton – John Tozer Appreciation Endowment. At that time, the Appreciation Endowment will transition into a termed endowment and will begin to wind up over a 20-year period. Annually, 1/20th of the capital and income will provide dependable funding for the needs of the Lion’s Head Hospital and support the needs of the GBHS Cancer Centre and its nursing staff.
