The RAHF’s support extends beyond hospital walls

When Yuki Richardson started her first job at the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation (RAHF) over 15 years ago, she was a financial officer with a bachelor of commerce degree. Since then, she has pursued and received her designation as a chartered professional accountant as well as earned an MBA, and she’s currently working toward a doctorate in business administration – all fully paid for by the foundation.

“My boss here of 14 years was a businessperson and knew the importance of education,” says Richardson, now vice president of finance and operations and CFO. “In terms of professional development, the foundation is 100 per cent supportive. I’m really appreciative so I’ve tried to work hard and be dedicated to this organization because it has supported me so much.”

The foundation supports several specialized centres and funds education, cutting-edge research and technologies as well as facility enhancements at the Edmonton-based Royal Alexandra Hospital.

Rishma Karmali is a development associate on the major gifts team who has worked at the Foundation for – cumulatively – nine years. “I had come back after a long stint of being away from working – I had had two children in three years,” she says. “I was nervous. I told my husband I didn’t have any experience anymore.”

Karmali called her former boss at RAHF to ask for a reference to help her slowly re-enter the workforce. Soon after, he called with a job offer. “There was so much flexibility,” she says. “I have a husband who travels quite a bit so they created a custom schedule for me so I could pick up and drop off my kids and still continue to work full time. It was fantastic.”

That kind of consideration runs through the organization, both women say. “People respect each other and care for each other,” says Richardson. “If something happens in someone’s family, we all come together for support. It’s that kind of spirit here.”

When the executive team saw employees working so hard but struggling mentally during the COVID-19 pandemic, they gave everyone every Friday off with pay during July so they could enjoy a little more summertime. “We appreciate the staff, and they appreciate us back by working hard,” she adds. “So it’s a win-win.”

The work of RAHF itself, both for the hospital and for the community at large, keeps everyone engaged. “Especially during COVID-19, the hospital needed a lot of things, so we tried to accommodate,” Richardson explains. “We have a robust procedure for approving funding, and sometimes the volume of work is immense. But when we can see how much it’s appreciated, how much of a difference it’s made, it’s worth it.”

Part of the foundation’s purpose is to fundraise for initiatives outside the hospital walls. Those have included a program to help educate people of different backgrounds about heart health, one for at-risk women, and an Addiction and Mental Health Access 24/7 service centre for the community.

Karmali fundraises specifically for the neonatal intensive care unit and has contact with donors; she sees the impact of their dollars. “It’s near and dear to me,” she says. “I feel very fortunate to be able to do this work. I do feel like I’m making a difference.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Alberta’s Top Employers winners, published January 25, 2022 in the Calgary Herald and Edmonton Journal. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.