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The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Saskatchewan is a volunteer-driven, non-profit organization working across a broad range of activities – from getting school children up and active through to helping stroke survivors get back on the road to recovery. Our research investment involves the microscopic through to the society – all with the goals of preventing heart disease and stroke and of helping those people who do experience it to survive and thrive.
Our activities include:
Advocacy
Advocacy at the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Saskatchewan takes place on many levels. We work closely with government departments to encourage healthy public policy (for example, the national Trans Fat Task Force, seeking to reduce trans fats in our foods, legislation to protect people from second-hand smoke in public and workplaces, and the development of formal school food policies by Saskatchewan School Boards). Some of our volunteers work to encourage health care professionals to use and study new Foundation research findings and treatment protocols (for example, we are currently working to develop an integrated stroke strategy – a system of care that more effectively prevents stroke and gives stroke patients a far greater chance of survival with less disability). Other Foundation volunteers help encourage young people to be active everyday and provide programs to make it fun for them to do so. We are active in advocating for affordable and accessible facilities where survivors of stroke and heart attack can become active in preventing further episodes/deterioration of their health status.
Health Promotion
The fruit of Foundation-funded research is knowledge that now fuels many of our health promotion activities. Today (in addition to funding research on treatment) we recognize prevention as the key in the fight against heart disease and stroke. We are committed to providing significant funding to support education programs that teach the value of healthy lifestyles and early recognition of heart disease and stroke. These activities place us front and centre in large and small communities across the province.
Programs like Heart to Heart and Living with Stroke, support and education programs for heart and stroke patients, and Jump Rope for Heart, an educational program that helps elementary students get active and learn about healthy lifestyles, are placing Saskatchewan people one step closer to the Foundation's dream: a future free from heart disease and stroke.
Equipping people with the knowledge and skills to deal with a cardiac emergency through the Foundation's Resuscitation programs are helping Saskatchewan people save lives. Each year, more than 20,000 people take a Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) course in Saskatchewan and are trained to recognize and react to a person experiencing from a heart attack.
Research
Research is a key element in the fight against heart disease and stroke, and is one of our biggest investments. This year alone, more than $1 million has been invested in research projects, including diverse projects right here at the University of Saskatchewan. The Heart and Stroke Foundation is a leading funder of heart and stroke research, here in Saskatchewan and across the country.
Many of our research projects are looking at ways of preventing heart disease or at ways of reducing the damage once it happens, because we know that treating people once they are ill from heart disease or stroke is an immensely expensive process. The ultimate goal is better prevention and better treatment at less cost to the health care system.
Fund Development
Gifts to the Foundation from donors and volunteers enable us to continue our work in communities across Saskatchewan. Every dollar the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Saskatchewan receives touches peoples' lives whether it's a new medical breakthrough, important information about heart disease and stroke, or a helpful hand in a Living with Stroke rehabilitation program.
There are many ways to support the work of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Saskatchewan. A donation at the February door-to-door campaign or through payroll giving at your workplace, participating in a special event such as Big Bike or Jump Rope for Heart, or an In Memoriam donation in honour of a loved one or friend are all ways you can choose to support the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Saskatchewan. As well, recent changes to the Income Tax Act open up new options for planned giving that may benefit your tax situation.
And you can also donate to the Foundation by calling toll-free 1-888-HSF-INFO or on our secure donations website section, www.heartandstroke.ca/donate.
For any inquiries about gifts and donations to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, please call 244-2124 (in Saskatoon), 1-888-HSF-INFO (elsewhere in Saskatchewan) or email reception@hsf.sk.ca.
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Saskatchewan
279 - 3rd Ave N.
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7K 2H8
Telephone (306) 244-2124
Fax (306) 664-4016
Reviewed March 2010
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