Marnie Rice, a member of the HSC Foundation’s Savour Committee
- From our 2018/19 Annual Report
For more than 570 attendees, Savour South Africa: Wine & Food Experience in February was an outstanding celebration shining a light on HSC and the HSC Foundation.
“It’s a year-round commitment,” says Rice, a member of the Savour committee. “Our goal is to produce the best possible event and to make it a little bit different every year. There is a lot of creative energy around the table. It’s a fun committee, driven by our energetic Board Chair, Tina Jones.”
Rice and her committee colleagues work to determine the event theme, recommend auction items, and develop ideas for food and décor.
For Rice and her colleagues, though, Savour is more than a party. Much more.
“I like knowing that the funds we raise have an immediate impact on the health care system,” she says.
Savour generated nearly $550,000 in revenue in 2019, including funds to purchase a new lithotripter machine for treating kidney stones. In 2018, revenue from Savour purchased new point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) units for portable, state-of-the-art diagnostics at HSC.
Rice comes by her community spirit and volunteerism honestly. Her parents raised funds for the hospital in Thunder Bay, the city where she was born and raised. She has also been inspired by the philanthropy and leadership of her husband Brad’s parents.
“My Mom and Dad were great volunteers, and Brad’s parents were enthusiastic supporters of anything that made Winnipeg a better place,” she says.
Aside from the HSC Foundation, Rice has also been a volunteer with ChildFind Manitoba, the Children’s Hospital Foundation, and JDRF.
“Volunteering is an important way to get involved in the community and make a difference,” says Rice. “The HSC Foundation is a great organization with excellent staff support. The sky’s the limit with them.”