Celebrating Mary Poulter – A Citizen of Exceptional Achievement
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Mary Poulter, Board Director with the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation was recently recognized as a Citizen of Exceptional Achievement by the City of Thunder Bay for her long-time commitment as a volunteer in our community, including her service on the Board for the Northern Cancer Research Foundation, and now the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation. She is joined by Lori Sdao, Manager of Finance and Administration (left) and Glenn Craig, President & CEO (right). |
May 30, 2018
Board Director for the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation, Mary Poulter, was recently recognized by the City of Thunder Bay as a Citizen of Exceptional Achievement. It’s a well-deserved title as Poulter has been serving the City in various volunteer capacities for years; among them, as part of the Board of Directors for the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation.
Poulter initially began her service with the Northern Cancer Research Foundation back (NCRF) in the early 2000’s after she completed treatment for breast cancer. She said, “I needed to find a way to give back to our Hospital so that we could continue to advance our healthcare here locally.” She was the Treasurer for the NCRF for many years, and then rejoined the Board of Directors for the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation when it amalgamated with the NCRF in 2008.
“There’ve been so many changes since I went through breast cancer,” she enthused. “We now have the Linda Buchan Centre which gives women much better access to screening and diagnostic services with vastly decreased wait times. When I was initially booked for my mammogram, I was told there’d be a wait of four weeks! I’m very happy to know this is not the norm anymore.”
“Also we’ve made great strides in our Cancer Centre, thanks to the recent support for the Exceptional Cancer Care Campaign,” said Poulter. “Knowing we have new linear accelerators for radiation, along with the Screen for Life Coach that provides mobile screening services across the Northwest is very comforting. Women absolutely have better access to care now, and I know it’s thanks to our generous community that this is possible.”
Poulter has remained part of the Board of Directors for such a long time because, she said, “Our Board is such a diverse group, where we share lots of ideas. They’re very welcoming and we celebrate each others’ strengths.” Herself a Chartered Accountant since 1992, Poulter’s skill set revolves around all things financial and she approaches many of the decisions from that frame of mind. “I really feel that we always need to be spending donors’ money wisely because they’ve put their faith in us to do so,” she said. “I also like to play devil’s advocate and question our decisions from a different perspective. Luckily I’m given the opportunity to do so respectfully as part of our Board.”
Upon receiving her Citizen of Exceptional Achievement Award, Poulter mentioned she was, “totally shocked, but very honoured and appreciative of the award.”
“It’s honestly such an honour to serve,” she said. “I’ve never considered that I might be recognized for volunteering. I’m very happy that my efforts, along with so many others, are contributing to better healthcare for our community.”