FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

 VON CANADA WELCOMES SHENKMAN DONATION

(Ottawa, Ontario, June 7, 2002) The family of well-known Ottawa land developer and philanthropist, Harold Shenkman, has made a generous donation to the Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) for Canada.  The donation is in memory of Harold Shenkman, who passed away last June, just short of his 91^st birthday.

            Today, the VON commemorates Mr. Harold Shenkman with a special plaque unveiling at the new VON National Office in Ottawa.  "The donation, in part, has allowed VON to purchase the building and it will support the organization as it continues to develop to meet the ever changing home and health care needs of Canadians," states Drew Bucknall, Chair VON Canada Borad.

VON's National Office was previously located at 5 Blackburn Avenue in Ottawa. Mr. Russell Blackburn bequeathed the house to VON Canada in 1953.

Charitable organizations are the backbone of Canadian society and continue to grow every year to fill the voids in public programs and services offered across the country.  "Like VON, every charitable organization depends on the public to fund their services that are needed in communities,"  notes Wayne Myles, Chair, VON Canada Foundation.  "We are honored to have received the Shenkman Family donation.”

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VON is dedicated to being a leader in the delivery of innovative comprehensive health and social services and to influencing the development of health and social policy in Canada.  We are a national health organization and registered charity offering a wide range of community health care solutions that meet the needs of Canadians from coast to coast.  As a forward-thinking organization, we have the will and determination to revolutionize our organization to meet rapidly changing social and external challenges. VON is committed to quality improvement and is accredited by the Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation.