May 3, 2004

FOX HONOURED - Long time volunteer Marsh Fox, centre, was honoured by the Cumberland Health Care Foundation with its Distinguished Service Award during the organization's sixth annual foundation dinner on Friday. Fox is shown receiving the award from foundation chair Phyllis Cameron and Morris Haugg.

FOR DISTINGUISHED SERVICE
Fox honoured by Health Care Foundation
by Darrell Cole, Amherst Daily News

AMHERST - The Cumberland Health Care Foundation honoured a longtime volunteer with its Distinguished Service Award at its annual fundraising dinner here Friday.

Marsh Fox, a retired insurance executive, has been involved with the foundation since it was formed a decade ago to raise funds for the community's share of the new regional hospital in Upper Nappan and has remained as co-chair of its annual Highland Classic Charity Golf Tournament in August.

"I am humbled by this presentation and I'm very proud," Fox said upon receiving the award."We all do our thing in life and I've enjoyed it all."

Fox, who received the award from foundation chair Phyllis Cameron and Morris Haugg, said the award is even more special considering the previous winners including former premier Roger Bacon, Blake Daley, Jean Miller, Rosemary Donkin and Stu and Cathy Pipe.

"I'm following some great people in receiving this award," added Fox, saying it was extra special to have family and friends on hand to share it with him.

The Distinguished Service Award is the highest honour presented annually by the foundation. It's presented to a person who has, for a number of years, provided outstanding and unselfish service to the foundation and to the healthcare community in Cumberland County and whose contribution, time effort, talent, resources and leadership has significantly enhanced the success of the foundation's missions and goals.

Born in St. Croix, NB in 1933, Fox moved to Amherst in the early 1940s and completed his education here in 1952. He went to work immediately out of high school for Douglas Rogers Insurance Ltd. and began his illustrious career in the insurance business by working in the mail room. He worked his way up the corporate ladder, eventually becoming vice-president.

Fox retired in 1994, after 42 years in the general insurance business. Besides his professional work, Fox has been active with numerous community organizations including the Moncton and Amherst chambers of commerce, the Amherst Water Commission, the wellfield committee, the United Way, Christ Church cemetery beautification committee, Acacia Lodge Number 8 AF/AM, Amherst Shrine Club and the Amherst golf and curling clubs.

He is also active with the Amherst Rotary Club, the Anglican Archdiocese of N.S. and P.E.I. and was a member of Amherst town council from 1991-94. Last summer he ran unsuccessfully for the Liberals in Cumberland North.

Fox was the first secretary/treasurer to the former Highland View Regional Hospital Foundation and as chair of the Highland Classic has seen that event raise in excess of $186,400 since it began. Giving an update on the foundation's work, Cameron said the organization has enjoyed a very strong year and remains committed to meeting the goals of its strategic plan.

"It was a very successful year for the foundation," she said. "As a result of the strategic planning process we now have a clear direction of where we want to go and we worked hard on completing some of the goals set out in that plan."

Besides its three major fundraisers, including the Foundation Dinner, the Highland Classic and Light the Way, the foundation also worked to increase its community profile to make people more aware of the importance of giving to support the hospital.

Major purchases over the year included a $250,000 ultrasound machine for diagnostic imaging, a portable ultrasound sonosite and an infrared spectrometre. It also accepted the donation of a portable pediatric scale from the Tantramar Chapter of the IODE and benches and trees for the hospital grounds from the Lady Tweedsmuir Club while also entering into a partnership with the Amherst Dairy Queen in the creation of a Teddy Bear Fund in which management, staff and patrons of the local DQ e teddy bears for the hospital's youngest patients.

Thanks to a generous bequest from the estate of Holly Spicer, the foundation is nearing completion of the Holly Spicer Healing Garden. It also partnered with the Cumberland Health Authority in hiring a volunteer services co-ordinator, partnered with the hospital auxiliary to establish an art gallery and established website.

Recently, the foundation kicked off a fund mailout that went to every household in Cumberland County and has already raised more than $,000 of a $20,000 target.