From Event Sponsor to Event Manager
Published Monday, September 9, 2024
Hospital Foundation Events Manager, Elaine Graydon, tending to bees.
Meet Elaine Graydon, Event Manager at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation
In 2001, Elaine Graydon made her initial connection with the organization that would become the Health Sciences Foundation. After the first Motorcycle Ride for Dad, launched by the Northern Cancer Research Foundation, the event was in search of a title sponsor for its second year. Elaine, who was then the Sponsorship Marketing and Community Relations Manager at Bell, agreed to step in as the title sponsor. Elaine joined the Foundation about seven years ago, and now oversees the Motorcycle Ride for Dad along with the Foundation's other signature and community events. Although she loved her time at Bell, leaving the private sector for the Foundation was the right move, she said.
"It's much more rewarding to raise money than to give it," Elaine said. "It's also something special to have been involved with the Motorcycle Ride for Dad from the beginning and being able to see both sides - as a sponsor and asking for sponsorships."
Planning, hosting, and running a successful event takes a lot of work, which Elaine said is made easier with her great team at the Foundation.
"Working with my staff and a dedicated group of volunteers as well as the rest of the Foundation team is my favourite part," Elaine said.
This year, Elaine will launch a brand new signature event in support of the Northern Cardiac Fund. The event will take place on November 2, 2024, at McGillivray's Landing at Fort William Historical Park. With the assistance and support from a very dedicated volunteer committee, this event promises to be a unique experience for all attendees. The Resolute Hearts Around the World Charity Auction will feature a symposium and a five-course meal representing cuisine from different countries, each paired with a specially selected beverage. "But the best part is that there will be a live auction during each course, offering a vacation to the featured country, which includes accommodations and gift cards to apply toward flight expenses to the successful bidder."
Elaine said that the Foundation's events always feature a patient as the keynote speaker, who shares their personal experiences.
"For example, we might have a speaker who had to leave the region for care," Elaine said. "That really hits home with the audience and shows why closer-to-home care is so important to patients."
Elaine also helps organizers who want to start their own events, often to honour the memory of a loved one. For instance, the upcoming and very successful Dancing with the Docs event was created by siblings Patricia and Dr. Joseph Del Paggio in loving memory of their mother Nikki. Similarly, the Daryl Penasi Fox Memorial Golf Tournament, organized by Charles and Meladina Fox was created to honour their son, which recently celebrated its 16th Anniversary. "The Foundation has many relationships built over many years and have developed friendships and connections that I value and cherish"
"We love supporting grassroots, community-based events," Elaine said. "Often they don't know where to start. We steward them through event planning and help with advertising. We'll also provide volunteers for the event. They form their own committees and run the event themselves. We develop great relationships with them, and they come back year after year."
That community support even comes from kids who run lemonade stands and birthday party donations.
"It's very rewarding to see the dedication of people. We live in a very generous region."
Outside of work, Elaine is a member of the Thunder Bay beekeeping community. She currently has one hive, but hopes to increase the number of hives in the coming years. Elaine is a gardener by default, tending to a variety of plants that flower at different times throughout the summer to ensure her bees have enough pollen. She'll play with the taste of the honey by planting certain flowers nearby such as lavender.
"There is so much to learn as a beekeeper and I am always discovering something new," Elaine said, adding that honey is simply a nice by-product of the knowledge she is gaining by being a beekeeper– her family and friends are often the lucky recipients of jars. "I raise bees for the environment."
Elaine also makes time to regularly practice yoga and enjoys spending time with her son Cale and her daughter Lauren and two adorable grandchildren, visiting their home in Kelowna as often as possible.
Tickets for the Resolute Hearts Around the World Charity Auction are on sale now! Get yours at www.healthsciencesfoundation.ca/world