A Family Affair

Alice Reid, retired RN and current volunteer, honours her family and St. Paul’s Hospital for the impact it has had in their lives, through a gift in will.

Fifty years ago, Alice Reid walked through the entrance of St. Paul’s Hospital for the first time – never imagining that she would do so again half a century later.

Originally from Saskatchewan, Alice moved to Vancouver’s West-end early in her career and began working at St. Paul’s Hospital. She went on to have a 32-year nursing career at St. Paul’s, working in the General Surgical Unit, a Surgical Unit treating post-open heart patients, and the Gastro-Intestinal Surgical Unit. Alice’s professional commitment and caring spirit was recognized with an award for Nursing Excellence in Nursing Practice in 1992.

Although she retired in 1994, Alice still recalls her time with St. Paul’s fondly: “The people who work there are like a family. There is friendliness and a real caring attitude.”   

Alice’s own family was touched by that caring attitude too. Her mother, Nora, at the age of 86, was a volunteer at St. Paul’s admitting office and was awarded a pin by the Auxiliary for donating 2,000 hours of her time.

Alice’s late sister, Fay, received ongoing treatment at the hospital over 17 years and was impressed with both the medical and nursing care. In memory of Fay, Alice made a gift to create the Fay Reid Nursing Award which supported further education of a nurse at St. Paul’s.  

Upon retirement, Alice decided to return to the hospital as a volunteer greeter. Today, she continues to offer welcoming smiles to visitors at the front doors and helps them find their way around the hospital.

“During my retirement, I have done some volunteer work,” Alice said, “but it wasn’t until I returned to St. Paul's Hospital that I found my niche. My volunteer work at St. Paul’s has become one of the highlights in my life.”

Alice decided, when she was updating her Will, to make a gift in her Will to support St. Paul’s Hospital.  Her gift will support the purchase of surgical equipment and provide “the little things” to make patients’ stays more comfortable. Alice is happy to know that her gift will help other patients at St. Paul’s continue to receive compassionate care and also benefit from the advances of technology and equipment in the future.

Like Alice, you can help create a healthier local and global community for generations to come by leaving a legacy gift to St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation of Vancouver. To learn more or notify us of your gift intentions, contact Trudy Loo, Planned Giving Manager, at 604-806-8271 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .