One by One
Red Deer Regional Health Foundation, Recipient

Red Deer Regional Health Foundation

Red Deer, Alberta

Funding critical healthcare—closer to home

Red Deer Regional Health Foundation is a charitable organization that raises and distributes funds to support programs, services and the purchase of new medical equipment at Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre. Its mission is to ensure Central Albertans have access to world-class healthcare. While the foundation works closely with the hospital, it operates independently, focusing on community engagement and diverse fundraising initiatives.

“The hospital serves 500,000 people living in our region,” said Cynthia de Boer, event manager. “Thousands of patients each year receive the benefits of our fundraising efforts. In many cases, the equipment we provide saves patients from having to be transported to far-off cities for care.”

Even though the Red Deer Regional Health Foundation staff is small—with only 10 paid employees—its team is substantial. In addition to paid staff, the foundation has a team of about 1,500 volunteers who power many of its fundraising initiatives, including three major lotteries and several special events. Their work provided critically needed equipment for cardiac care in 2025.

The most wonderful time of the year

In November, the foundation hosted its 32nd annual Festival of Trees. Held in a large trade show venue, the marquee annual fundraiser featured decorated holiday trees, festive family-friendly activities, and a mix of public and ticketed events. “We have a fabulous gift shop and it’s irresistible,” de Boer said. “Everybody ends up purchasing something there.” The event welcomed about 23,000 guests and raised funds for an interim cardiac catheterization lab at the hospital, a major step toward improving cardiac care for Central Alberta.

Volunteer thank-you gifts help keep event helpers happy

Festival of Trees takes place over four days and requires an intensive week of preparation. That’s on top of the year-round work for the main attraction—the trees. In the week leading up to the event, employees and hundreds of volunteers put in long days setting up and decorating. “We probably work on average about 16 hours a day and it’s all on hard concrete,” de Boer said. “It’s really a difficult place to work and the air is very dry.”

A one by one grant provided tubes of promotional lip balm that were given as volunteer thank-you gifts during the week of prep. Imprinted with Festival of Trees branding and flavored in mint and vanilla, the lip balm was a hit. The foundation team loved the items, de Boer said, because they were practical given the dry conditions, and because the gesture conveyed appreciation. “People went crazy for them and they’re still using them,” she said. “They were just so happy to receive something, even if it was small. It was another way for us to say thank you.”

A note from Cheryl

Red Deer Regional Health Foundation is dedicated to helping community members access the best possible healthcare—and countless people are better off because of it. We were proud to provide volunteer thank-you gifts that were used to show appreciation for the hardworking team. If you’re interested in a one by one grant, visit onebyone.4imprint.ca.

For more information about Red Deer Regional Health Foundation, please visit https://www.rdrhfoundation.com/

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