The Enable Table Campaign
With the recent update about New MKK (Mauno Kaihla Koti) Long-term Care home, The OFRA Foundation and Ladies' Auxiliary have teamed up to make
lemonade
out of the sour news.
As you may know, our 128 bed New MKK project has faced an unfortunate setback. The cost to build was a pre-pandemic figure of $32 million, increasing to just over $50 million in early 2023. Unexpectantly, recent bids from contractors doubled, totaling approximately $100 million! This unfortunately has caused the project to be on hold as we actively work to address this situation and take decisive steps forward to finding feasible solutions.
When Life Gives You Lemons,
Make Lemonade (or Sima)!
As we continue to navigate the hurdles on this journey to New MKK, our renowned 63 bed Mauno Kaihla Koti was in need of new dining room tables! Together, we kept New MKK in our horizon while upgrading our current conditions in the meantime!
The Enable Table Goal Was $50,000
for 19 tables and 42 E-Z Lift Dual Arm Tablet extenders
that will be used by residents now, but also for years to come as they will be transferred to the new home.
With the Ladies' Auxiliary matching donations up to $25,000 and because of the generous response from amazing supporters, we raised:
In March 2024, Mauno Kaihla Koti will have new dining room tables that are accessible to all and can be moved and cleaned with such ease!
Thank you to all who have contributed!
Current Table Downfalls:
- Thirteen to fifteen years old
- Not adjustable: current table extenders cannot be adjusted to accommodate varying resident heights and wheelchairs
- Table extenders are very difficult to clean/sanitize due to tight crevasses
Enable Table with E-Z Lift Extenders:
- Allows for proper height adjustment based on resident and wheelchair
- Extremely easy for staff to adjust and move
- Complete 360 degree cleaning with no crevasses
- Will be transferred to new home, saving on future expenses
The MKK dining room tables we currently have were good for their time. They are now 13-15 years old and are not multiple positioning tables and just have table extenders attached. There are two major problems with these extenders:
- They are very difficult and time consuming to clean and disinfect due to tight crevasses that are big enough of a gap for food to get in but not big enough to clean easily. To perform a deep clean, staff have to crawl underneath, unbolt the extenders, clean all around them, crawl back under, and re-bolt.
- The extenders don't properly accommodate all residents of all different types, heights, and sizes of wheelchairs. They only allow for one height and run into problems of residents just not fitting under there.
The extenders were good for their time but they aren't what we need right now. We have to make sure that we are always trying to improve the dining experience as it's the one thing the residents really enjoy. We have to start getting these new tables in now while they're needed then they can be moved over to the new facility. We need every table to be a multiple positioning table."
Kim Shellhorn
Food Service & Nutrition Manager
I am really excited about the Enable Table Campaign. I would say the biggest thing I am excited about is it will give ALL of our residents a pleasurable dining experience. What's nice about the Enable Tables is that they have different adjustments for lowering or raising the extender for the varying resident needs. I am also excited about having one, uniform look in both dining rooms at Mauno Kaihla Koti. We currently have a mix-match of 19 tables total in three different sizes, colours, and types. They will bring in a little more space to the rooms but yet still offer that pleasurable dining experience to the residents.
It'll be a lot easier to clean and maintain for infection control purposes - that's huge! Overall, it's going to give that nice, new fresh look and I think all the residents are really going to enjoy it.
These are the tables picked out for the new home, however we are experiencing a great need for them now. We talked to some other facilities that have Enable Tables and they come highly reviewed."
Heidi Schell
Purchasing & Marketing Agent
By supporting the Enable Table Campaign, you're giving our residents the most pleasurable and inclusive dining experience they deserve.
Ways To Donate
Call Us
705-945-9987
ext. 255 or 257
A live person can take down your credit card information to be processed.
Online
You can donate online through
the link below:
Those who donate online at www.CanadaHelps.org will receive their official tax receipt by email immediately after the donation has been processed.
Come In & Mail-In
Come visit our office or mail in your donations to:
OFRA Foundation
725 North St.
Sault Ste. Marie ON P6B 5Z3
Please ensure all cheques are made payable to "The Ontario Finnish Resthome Foundation"
Become a GEM!
An OFRA GEM is a donor who Gives Every Month, pledging to support our various efforts.
Set it and forget it.
Donating smaller, monthly amounts helps to eliminate financial stress and allows you to create a greater impact over time!
All donations will be receipted annually and donors will received their donation tax receipt no later than the end of February the following year except those donations that were made via CanadaHelps. According to Canada Review Agency’s gifting and receipting policies, if a donor gives a gift of a tangible item or a monetary donation (ie: a gift of property) to OFRA, the donor shall receive an official taxable donation receipt. However, gift certificates, gift cards and gifts of service are not considered property but rather a promise, and are not eligible for tax deductions. For these items, the donor will receive a non-taxable business receipt.
