Who We Are
The Our Lady of Rosary Hospital Foundation, we are a volunteer-based organization committed to supporting programs, services, education, equipment, and a safe, modern working environment at Our Lady of the Rosary Hospital. With the help of community partners and through various fundraising ventures, including special events, the foundation has been able to raise funds to improve healthcare services and facilities in the community.
As a cornerstone of the community, Our Lady of the Rosary Hospital offers Acute care, Emergency services, and Continuing Care to meet the health care and living needs of residents in the surrounding communities. The foundation recognizes the importance of investing in the hospital’s infrastructure and resources to ensure that patients, residents, and healthcare professionals have access to the best possible care and support.
When you choose to support the Our Lady of Rosary Hospital Foundation, you can be assured that your donation stays in the community, making a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of everyone in the area. Your support helps to create a happier, healthier future for residents, patients, families, and healthcare workers alike.
The foundation is grateful for the generous support shown by donors and the wider community. Your contributions make a significant difference, enabling the foundation to continue its mission of supporting the hospital and improving healthcare services in the community.
Staff Profiles
Board Chair
Wendy Coppock
Wendy Coppock has been a board member since 2018 and, as of September 2020,
accepted the joint chair position of the Foundation and Community boards.
Wendy and her husband Tom farm in the north Castor area, where they raised their three boys. This Coppock family has been very active in many areas of the community.
Tom and Wendy have enjoyed raising their boys in the local hockey arena, ball diamonds and other recreational facilities. Wendy always enjoyed serving as a team manager in hockey and can still be found visiting the Castor Arena to cheer on the local children as they play this favorite winter sport.
Wendy has many fond memories of times with the Paintearth 4-H Beef Club. Both Tom and Wendy were club leaders, and from the show ring to the public speaking competitions, there was always something to learn. After her boys were finished, Wendy continued to work with 4-H as Key Leader for a time.
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Wendy is a lifelong learner and has worked for Clearview School Division for several years serving as vice-principal and principal of Castor’s Gus Wetter School and the school division early learning and literacy coordinator. Wendy presently holds the position of Director of Inclusive Learning working out of the division office in Stettler.
Wendy enjoys the time she spends on working and advocating for rural health care in her role on the foundation board. She recognizes the importance of rural health sustainability and works tirelessly to ensure the future of this health care is alive and thriving in the community of Castor and Our Lady of The Rosary Hospital.
Wendy would like to thank the Our Lady of The Rosary staff who go above and beyond each and every day in the work to ensure patients know that they matter, are important and are cared about.
Shirley Hewitt
Born in Castor and raised in the rural area of Bulwark, Shirley has always felt a strong connection to her community. After graduating from high school in Castor, Shirley moved away and pursued further education in business.
In 1992, Shirley and her husband, Rod, made a significant decision that would shape their future and the well-being of their home town community. They purchased a small grocery store in Castor, Mayfair Foods, which has since been expanded and also rebranded, to Family Foods. This endeavor not only brought them back to their roots in the area but also allowed them to reside on the family farm and raise their two wonderful children within the close-knit community.
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In 2021, the family built a second Family Foods grocery store in Coronation. Today, their daughter successfully manages this new location, ensuring the continued growth and positive impact of the family business.
Understanding the vital importance of having accessible healthcare facilities within the community, Shirley joined the OLRH Foundation in 2019, recognizing the significance of providing a well-equipped hospital that can cater to the diverse needs of all ages.
Shirley is grateful for the presence of the Our Lady of the Rosary Hospital within the community. She firmly believes that access to comprehensive healthcare services is essential for the overall well-being and prosperity of the region and is appreciative for the compassionate care given to families and loved ones.
Dona Howe
Raising our three daughters alongside my husband Terry in this community has been an incredible blessing. Over the years, our family hosted exchange students from Japan, Brazil, and Denmark, which sparked a love of travel that has taken me to many places worldwide.
I love reading and am a member of the Castor Ladies Reading Club and the OLRH Women’s Hospital Auxiliary Society.
Over the years I was employed at the hospital I saw firsthand the work the Hospital Board has done to support our hospital and staff. In 1977 I started full-time employment at Our Lady of the Rosary Hospital in the Lab/X-ray department. After welcoming the first of our three daughters in 1979, I transitioned to part-time work, continuing until my retirement in 2016 after 40 years of service. One of my most memorable experiences was working alongside the Sisters of the Daughters of Wisdom. Over the years, I witnessed many changes, from technological advancements to hospital renovations, including the development of a new laboratory and X-ray department.
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Following my retirement, I was excited to join the OLRH Community Board and Foundation as a volunteer. It has given me the opportunity to give back and support the hospital that meant so much to me throughout my career. Serving on the board has allowed me to stay connected to the healthcare community, and help ensure the hospital continues to thrive.
In addition to my volunteer work, retirement has given me the precious gift of more time with my grandchildren. Being a grandma is one of my greatest joys, and I cherish every moment spent making
memories with them.
Paula Doolaege
Paula moved from Ontario to Castor to accept a nursing position at the Our Lady of the Rosary Hospital in the fall of 1993. She met and married a local farmer south of Castor shortly after.
Paula and her husband Paul have been blessed to have raised 4 children in the Castor community.
Over the last 30 years, Paula has served Castor and surrounding communities as a Registered Nurse in different roles such as, Health Educator; Public Health Nurse; Mental Health/Seniors Outreach Nurse and Home Care Nurse. These roles have brought many experiences, challenges, and continuous learning, especially in the evolving field of health care. Paula always wanted to be a nurse, to be part of people’s lives, to care and support people wherever they are in their life’s journey.
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Paula has also been an active member of the community, being involved in different social groups over the years. Castor Little Theater, managing minor sports, and Beef 4-H with her children, curling, and Castor Catholic Women’s League. Having the opportunity to spend time with people doing what they love and enjoy is one of life’s pleasure. Another is a good cup of coffee.
In the spring of 2022, she became a volunteer member of the OLRH Foundation. She was thrilled to be able to use her nursing knowledge, experience, and her Catholic faith to help support her to serve her community and rural health care.
Aileen Jackson
Aileen was born in Castor and grew up in the Town of Halkirk.
During high school Aileen worked in the office at Our Lady of the Rosary Hospital.
In 1976 Aileen married Randy Jackson, and couple continues to farm north of Castor.
While raising their three daughters, she worked as a playschool teacher in Galahad and as a ski instructor at the Valley Ski Club.
In 1998 she became the bookkeeper for Family Foods in Castor and now Coronation too.
The Jacksons enjoy travelling and spending time with family, seven grandkids and their friends.
In the fall of 2019 Aileen became a volunteer member of the OLRH Foundation. She feels it’s a way to give back to the community and help keep our hospital a vital part of that community.
Brenda Kneller
I was born and raised in Castor and completed Grades 1 through 12 at
Theresetta Catholic School. Following graduation, I obtained my Bachelor of Education by attending three years at the University of Alberta and one year at East Central Connecticut State University.
Having grown up in a rural area, I was happy to leave the city behind and begin my teaching career back in Castor. I have been employed at Theresetta since 1988, where I have been fortunate to move from full-time to part-time while I raised four children with my husband, Dave, on our farm south of Castor.
As our youngest child graduated and left for college in September of 2022, I felt it was time to start giving back to this wonderful community. With three daughters in healthcare-related professions, and already being an active music volunteer at our Long Term Care facility, it seemed a natural fit when I was asked to join the Our Lady of the Rosary Hospital Foundation Board in 2023.
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Brianne Bagshaw
I was born and raised in the County of Paintearth and have spent most of my adult life living in Castor. My family has been in this community for many years, and I couldn’t think of a better place to raise my children than here.
I joined the board in 2019 to give back to my community. I enjoy that as a board, we can make a difference in the lives that step into our hospital. Whether you are a patient receiving care, a family member of a patient or a staff member working in our facility, we are providing necessary equipment and comforts to get the care they deserve and make long days better.
History of Our Lady of the Rosary Hospital
Serving the citizens of Castor and surrounding area for over a century, Our Lady of the Rosary Hospital opened its doors in 1911.
The hospital was expanded in 1962 with the construction on a 30-bed acute-care wing connected to the old facility by a hallway. In the ensuing years the facility has been expanded further with a continuing care facility added onto the north wing.
While the original structure still stands, it has mainly been relegated to administration, meeting, and storage spaces.
In 2008, operation of the facility was taken over by Covenant Health in partnership with Alberta Health Services.
Assisting with the management of fundraising dollars for the facility is the Our Lady of the Rosary Hospital Board which works with Covenant Health and hospital administration to get needed equipment into the hands of staff.