Former teacher leaves $100K to Glace Bay Hospital Foundation

A former Glace Bay school teacher who died last year has left one of the largest financial gifts in recent memory to her local hospital foundation.

Florrie Barrett was 94 when she died in December. She has, through her estate, bequeathed the Glace Bay Hospital Foundation $100,000.

Cathy Power, acting chair of the foundation, said Barrett's donation is the second-largest she's seen in more than 20 years.

"Humongous," she said. "That's not a proper word, but it's one I'm familiar with and that's how I feel about it. It's just a save-the-day kind of donation."

Power said the donation couldn't have come at a better time, as the COVID-19 pandemic put a damper on fundraising.

"It's such a wonderful thing to come at this time, because we've had kind of a down two years, not being able to put on many of our events or whatever, the way we'd usually raise money," she said.

Keith MacKay said his Aunt Florrie had some health issues and had to move away in her later years, but she never forgot her roots.

"She was in Halifax, but her heart certainly stayed in Glace Bay," he said.

MacKay's brother Hugh, the former MLA for Chester-St. Margaret's, said the extended family in Glace Bay and across Nova Scotia is pleased to know Barrett's gift will leave a lasting legacy.

"It comes at a time when funding for health services in Nova Scotia, the need for it is increasing, so it's very appropriate to see this money come to the foundation for the work here at the hospital," he said.

Barrett is remembered as a longtime member of the Isle Royale chapter of the IODE, a women's charitable organization, and a huge supporter of the hospital auxiliary.

Power, a distant relative and a former student of Barrett's, said the community icon often knitted items that were sold through the auxiliary's gift shop.

Barrett also knew the value of the hospital to the community — as a patient, said Power.

"She did have a health problem a few years ago and she spent a fair amount of time in this hospital," she said. "She could never say enough about the staff here, how wonderful they were, so she realized what a good hospital this is."

The Glace Bay facility is a community hospital that serves the surrounding area, but its eye clinic treats patients up to 200 kilometres away in Antigonish, said Power.

It is not yet known what Barrett's donation will be used for, but Power said the foundation will use it to buy state-of-the-art equipment to improve patient care and help attract and retain doctors.

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