A Busy Summer Ahead, Thanks to Your Donations
Published Monday, June 29, 2026
Message from Dr. Stephen Adams
Chair, Board of Directors, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation
I've found that as I've gotten older, I tend to hold on to those father-child moments a little harder. Our youngest son Eric and I have gone to hear the Roar for the Cure for the last 10 years. It's a Father's Day tradition I'm glad we started.
For us, the Tbaytel Motorcycle Ride for Dad is the start to summer – although this year's was a little chillier and windier than most! Still, 200 riders braved the wind, the rain, and the hail, raising $56,609.35 for prostate health. Thank you to the riders, the route stops, the volunteers, the MRFD Committee, and all those who donated to support the men in our lives. Next year's 25th Annual Motorcycle Ride for Dad will take place on Saturday, June 19, 2027.
Speaking of summer – for many of us, thoughts turn to rolling up the sleeves for camp and travel and deck parties. But for members of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation's Grant Committee, it means rolling up the sleeves and getting to the important work of reviewing grant applications from the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre! This proven process helps us objectively evaluate projects and initiatives, and allows full transparency for both our donors and our Hospital.
We just had our second meeting, and now we will review and rank the grant applications by early August. After that, we send our recommendation list to the Finance and Audit Committee for assessment. We'll present our final report to the Foundation's Board of Directors at our October meeting for one last evaluation.
Of course, after last year's record-breaking grant announcement, everyone keeps asking me, “How much this year?” It's way too early to know for sure. But safe to say, it will be another large commitment.
In other news this summer… I want to underline what a big deal it is that we now have retinal detachment services in Thunder Bay. I've heard from people how difficult and frustrating it is to travel to Winnipeg or elsewhere for these services. You can't fly because of the type of procedure it is, and you can't personally drive, which means someone has to come with you. On top of everything else, it's an emergency procedure so even if there's a snowstorm, you're on that road to Winnipeg.
Dr. Alex Pisig is building the program from the ground up to bring more services to Thunder Bay. That will require both staff training and equipment. The equipment piece is where our donors come in. We simply couldn't bring these types of vision care services to Thunder Bay without your support and dedication!
Once again, thank you for supporting these and so many other closer-to-home care programs. You truly make the difference.
Have a great summer all!
Dr. Stephen Adams