Making Events Matter
Published Wednesday, August 28, 2024
Haley holds the ball given to her by White Sox closing pitcher, Liam Hendriks, a memorable moment made even more special as Liam, not soon after, announced his cancer diagnosis and break from the profession.
Meet Haley Werbowetski, Event Officer at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation
Being able to look forward to work on a Monday morning is something Haley Werbowetski considers a blessing.
"Working on a team with so much talent and passion is half the battle," Haley said. "How could I not be excited to come in when I have a team like this around me?"
As an Event Officer at the Health Sciences Foundation, Haley works hard to make sure every Foundation event is something special.
"I want our event attendees to feel like they're transported to somewhere else while at our events and enjoy themselves so much that they want to buy tickets for next year before they are even out the door." Haley says. "For most people, events are their first contact with the Foundation. I want to open up that door for them and establish strong connections to our causes from the very start."
After graduating from George Brown College and starting her career in Toronto, Haley worked with some high-end events and people, she loved what she did but felt something was missing. COVID was a blessing in disguise for her as it forced her out of her comfort zone, back to Thunder Bay.
"I thought that, if I'm in Thunder Bay, I want to plan the high-end events. The Foundation's galas and charity events are a challenge I wanted to take on. So, I walked into Glenn Craig's office and told him, ‘You need me on your team.'"
Her direct approach worked. When the Events Officer position opened up, Haley did indeed join the Foundation team. She realized that being able to give back to the community and see the impact of her work helped her understand you find true happiness when you give more than you take.
"Sure, it's exciting to plan events for celebrities and powerful business people where everybody has a great time," Haley said. "But then everyone goes home at the end of the night, and the only thing you're left with is planning the next one."
Haley found fundraising events to be more rewarding and fulfilling because not only can she see the impact after the lights go up, but it also gives her a strong sense of community.
"To me, fundraising and philanthropy are about taking ownership of your community."
"I never realized that ‘free healthcare' stops with the patient; everything needs to be paid for so when we are able to put a great event together that raises tens of thousands of dollars for our hospital, it's a really special feeling to know that you were a part of that," she says.
When not at work, she and her boyfriend can be found on the lake, or at Border Cats games cheering on some local baseball. They also like watching the Chicago White Sox – even if the team is having their worst season ever. Haley became a die-hard fan in 2021 after the White Sox beat the Yankees at the Field of Dreams game. Liam Hendriks, White Sox closing pitcher, handed her a ball after a game the next season.
Haley has been working hard on some great upcoming signature events, driven by her belief that if everyone embraces a selfless attitude toward fundraising and philanthropy—much like a team working together on the field—we can make a huge impact on our community and improve healthcare in Thunder Bay.