The new Estevan Regional Nursing Home committee is celebrating the legacy of a couple of large donors, whom they have referred to as their “Christmas angels.”
The committee announced Friday that the late Tom and Irma Trofimenkoff, who were long-time residents of Estevan, had left a large legacy gift, which will be directed towards replacing the outdated nursing home.
The amount of the donation will not be released, but the Trofimenkoff estate said it is a six-figure gift.
Don Kindopp, who is the chairperson of the new nursing home committee, said this will be the largest donation from a family the new nursing home committee has received.
“A bequest of this size validates our efforts,” says Kindopp. “This project is very meaningful to the people in Estevan and region and these angels have inspired us to intensify our campaign.”
A second installment from the Trofimenkoff estate is scheduled to occur at a later date.
Tom was a long-time employee of the City of Estevan who died in April at the age of 87, while Irma was a SaskTel worker who died in August at the age of 83. They were married for 47 years.
Kindopp said he knew the couple for many, many years, and he always found them to be very friendly people who were community-minded. During the Hearthstone Community Campaign that raised money for the nursing home, the couple was very generous.
The Trofimenkoffs were residents of the long-term care at St. Joseph’s Hospital.
“Any time you met them at the hospital, when they were down having coffee, they were very friendly. They visited and liked to be visited with,” said Kindopp.
They didn’t have any children, so Kindopp believes they took Estevan on as their children, and provided for the community through their legacy. Other organizations in the region will also benefit from their generosity. Those organizations were not immediately disclosed.
“It leaves you in a bit of awe that people would consider their community in that manner,” said Kindopp.
He recalled members of the new nursing home committee were called to a meeting in July. At the time, they knew they were beneficiaries of the Trofimenkoff estate, but they didn’t realize the amount. The cheque for the first installment from the estate arrived a couple of weeks ago.
“When we went down there, and we were informed of the generosity of Tom and Irma Trofimenkoff, it was surreal. To think that people can be that generous and consider the new nursing home as their beneficiary was extremely pleasing.”
Harvey Schindel, a nephew of the Trofimenkoffs and one of the executors of their estate, said the new nursing home was one of a number of organizations that meant a lot to the couple.
“They were very quiet. They kept to themselves. They enjoyed travelling. Together they basically travelled the word,” said Schindel.
While they were never residents of the nursing home, Irma’s mother Marth Schroeder lived there from 1991 until her death in 1998. At that time, Schindel said Schroeder could see the need for a new facility.
The new nursing home committee was also proud to announce that the estate of Mylan Chase had donated $100,000 to the construction of the building. It’s another donation that caught the new nursing home committee by surprise.
“When we found out it could be a nice legacy from the Mylan Chase estate, you’re always caught off guard in a very pleasant way to know that people in the community are still thinking about the new Estevan Regional Nursing Home committee,” said Kindopp.
This donation reflects how fortunate people are to have individuals who are so generous and community-minded, Kindopp said. They see the need for causes like the new nursing home in the city.
Kindopp said he did not know Chase personally, but he had seen him at a few events in the community. And after seeing how generous Chase was, he wishes he had known the man.
“It’s nice to have people like that in your associations that are generous and think of other people, and think of the community when it comes to passing on a legacy. Even though they’re no longer with us, they can still have an impact and an effect on the future beyond their existence here on Earth with us.”
He died in November 2018 at the age of 96.
Chase’s widow, Adaline Deschneider, said her husband was such a kind and giving man, but he was a very quiet person.
He decided to support the new nursing home because he thought she might wind up there some day, and she would rather be in a new one because of the current building’s age.
This isn’t the first time that a local organization has benefitted from Mylan Chase’s commitment to Estevan. Last year Deschneider and Chase’s stepdaughter Deshan announced a $100,000 donation to long-term care at the hospital in his name.
The committee continues to wait on approval from the provincial government to move forward with the project.
Discussions for a new nursing home in Estevan began more than a decade ago. The Hearthstone Community Campaign was launched in 2011 in an effort to raise funds for the building. Its goal was $8 million, which represented the necessary 20 per cent of the project’s $40 million cost.
The new nursing home committee announced in January 2015 it had reached the $8 million goal, and the new nursing home project for Estevan was inserted into the queue for new long-term care facilities.
Nearly six years later, it remains in the queue, despite lobbying efforts and numerous changes to the project to reduce its cost in an effort to gain government support.
Kindopp said they now have more than $8.6 million in commitments, including $3 million in pledges owing. Most of those outstanding pledges are the RMs who committed to the project back in 2012. They’re holding that money in trust until the new nursing home gets the green light.
