In early summer of 2023, the Peace Arch Hospital Foundation Lodge was renamed in honour of the Foundation's first board chair, Hospital Auxiliary Member, health care trailblazer and White Rock/South Surrey community advocate, the late Ellen Sinclair Kennett. Her connection with PAH stretches all the way back to 1948, when Ellen began fundraising for what would eventually become Peace Arch Hospital – an important healthcare centre in the region that she continued to advocate for and support for the remainder of her life. 

In this special, series-opening episode of Power to Heal, you’ll hear from several people who knew Ellen well and experienced first-hand her passion for giving back to the community she loved. Starting with her rural childhood as the daughter of Danish immigrant farmers, Power to Heal will explore the influences that helped shape this remarkable woman’s journey from hospital auxiliary fundraiser to board chair in the male-dominated world of non-profit leadership. 

In addition to the voices of those who loved and admired her, you’ll also hear from Ellen herself. In excerpts from a 2016 archival interview, she recounts the dire conditions back in the 1940s which led the only hospital in the area to announce that it would no longer accept patients from Surrey – a momentous decision that inspired Ellen and others from the White Rock community to begin fundraising for a hospital of their own. But that’s just one part of the Ellen Sinclair Kennett story, which encompasses raising a family, the death of her first husband, and volunteering for seemingly countless community organizations. 

Host Wayne Cox leads a sometimes humorous, sometimes emotional conversation about a caring, inspirational, and selfless woman – a true community champion who put her heart and soul into the betterment of White Rock and South Surrey for everyone who calls this area home.

Guests: 

This episode’s guests are joined by Stephanie Beck, Peace Arch Hospital Foundation’s Executive Director, who would often call on Ellen for expert advice during her earlier role with the foundation as Director of Major Gifts. 

The Power to Heal podcast, presented by Peace Arch Hospital Foundation in White Rock, British Columbia, takes you behind the scenes of an innovative hospital Foundation and introduces you to the team who find new and sometimes surprising ways to engage with the local community and help fund the best healthcare possible in the region. 

Since 1988, the Foundation has raised over $210 million for capital projects, medical equipment, and community health programs. Their passionate and caring team’s number one priority is the prudent stewardship of your gifts and the resulting positive impact on patients and medical staff at Peace Arch Hospital and the entire White Rock-South Surrey community.

Download the Power to Heal wherever you get your favourite podcasts.

Links:

The Ellen Sinclair Kennett Lodge becomes official at renaming ceremony (news release)

For more information on the Peace Arch Hospital Foundation, or to make a donation, visit pahfoundation.ca