Barbara Seldon Leggatt’s time at Joseph Brant Hospital started in 1976, when she did an internship during her Masters of Social Work, and came full circle with a role on the JBH Foundation board. As she comes to the end of her six-year term, she looks back on her time at JBH and JBHF with great pride.
“I think we have a really great community hospital, and I feel proud to be a part of because I think this hospital has grown and developed into something that’s state-of-the-art,” she said.
In 2018, Barbara was considering retirement and was looking for something meaningful. Acquaintances who were on the Foundation Board at the time put her name forward. For Barbara, it fit her desire to give back and apply some of her professional knowledge and experience.
“I think that having a really good hospital in our community is important and this was a way to help in that cause,” she said. “It’s been an exciting time with the redevelopment and the progress that has continued since then.”
For Barbara, the importance of volunteering started at an early age.
“My father and older brother were both involved with boards and foundations, and my mother was a 30 year volunteer at McMaster Medical Centre,” she said. “I started volunteering when I was 15 and have always done volunteer work of some kind. It’s just part of the value system I grew up with and I believe that involvement in one’s community is important.”
But it is a juggling act. Barbara retired soon after joining the board, but had to juggle her active lifestyle and her responsibilities as Nana with her commitment, but she felt the Foundation was a good fit with her schedule.
“This has been the most efficient and effective board I’ve been associated with,” she said.
The Joseph Brant Hospital Foundation would like to thank Barbara, and all the volunteers who give their time generously in support of our hospital for making a difference for healthcare close to home.