Article originally published by The Chronicle Herald and SaltWire.com. Pictured: Dr. Lianne Yoshida is the medical co-director of the QEII's Reproductive Options and Services (ROSE) Clinic.
Thea E. Smith has been an advocate of women’s reproductive health her entire adult life.
That passion resulted in her becoming a dedicated supporter of the QEII’s Reproductive Options and Services (ROSE) Clinic through her yearly gift of securities to the QEII Foundation.
Thea is one of many QEII Foundation donors who have together contributed more than $250,000 to the clinic over the years for such things as IUDs and subdermal implants, ultrasound devices, and a variety of comfort items to help ensure a state-of-the-art and comfortable care environment for patients.
She chose to have her annual gift go to the clinic about a decade ago after attending a fundraiser hosted by ROSE Clinic medical co-director, Dr. Lianne Yoshida, at which time she learned not only about the clinic, but how she could help.
Her support, and that of others, is helping provide ROSE Clinic patients with IUDs and contraceptive implants free of charge.
“Providing someone with an IUD is a very tangible way of improving their life and that’s part of what’s so satisfying about donating to the ROSE Clinic. It’s a biological fact that women bear the burden of unwanted pregnancies, but it’s also a fact that society can help share that burden by making contraception easily available and affordable. That’s a strong motivation,’’ Thea stresses.
Giving a gift of securities – including stocks, bonds or mutual funds – can be a tax-effective way to support a cause you’re passionate about. When you transfer securities directly to the QEII Foundation, rather than sell them and donate the proceeds, you will eliminate any capital gains tax otherwise owed and receive a valuable tax credit for the full value of the securities.
Donating securities has “always been an easy and straight-forward process” for Thea, who hopes more individuals will consider how their investments can make a difference for others.
“The bottom line is that it’s advantageous to both them and the charity financially and the donors also don’t have to go through the trouble of selling the stock. Everybody wins,’’ she says.
As medical co-director of the ROSE Clinic, Dr. Yoshida knows first-hand just how important donations like Thea’s are for reproductive care. In fact, without donors, she says they never would have been able to offer free IUDs and contraceptive devices for patients who couldn’t afford it.
Ranging in price from $370 to $420, IUDs and contraceptive implants are costly, which Dr. Yoshida says often creates a significant barrier for women who don’t have access to provincial Pharmacare or private health insurance.
“There’s a lot of people who fit in that category of having no coverage and those are the people we have helped through this compassionate program – all thanks to donors.’’
It’s a prime example of the many care areas throughout the QEII Health Sciences Centre that have been directly impacted by gifts of securities and donor support.
Dr. Yoshida is grateful for the QEII Foundation’s support of not only the ROSE Clinic over the years, but everyone in need of health care at Atlantic Canada’s largest and most specialized adult hospital.
“The QEII Foundation is a pillar of the community and they’re raising vital funds for health care for our province and the whole region.’’
From reproductive care to cancer, heart or mental health, a gift of securities to the QEII Foundation can be designated to an area of care or research that is meaningful to you. To learn more about giving a gift of securities, visit QE2Foundation.ca/securities or call 902 334 1546.
