Neonatal nurses support infants in Calgary in more ways than one

NeighbourLink's LeeAnne Alexander (L) accepts a $1,000
donation from Karen Lasby (R)  from CANN/ACIIN.

It takes just seconds to scribble a signature. Perhaps less for those who do it regularly – those like Ron MacLean and the Montreal Canadiens. Their seconds of scribbling have resulted in a $1,000 donation to infants in need in Calgary.

Many thanks are owed to the Canadian Association of Neonatal Nurses/Association canadienne des infirmieres et infirmiers en neonatologie (CANN/ACIIN) which raffled and auctioned off a signed MacLean puck and Montreal jersey among other Heritage Classic hockey memorabilia at their annual conference in Calgary this past February.

A donation to a local charity in the conference host city is an annual CANN/ACIIN tradition. Karen Lasby, conference co-chair and western CANN director-at-large, says NeighbourLink was chosen to help them continue their “outstanding support of families-in-need and their young infants.”

NeighbourLink's Infants & Children Under 2 (ICU2) program provides baby essentials like diapers, formula and cribs to infants in need whose parents can't afford to purchase these supplies on their own.

The CANN/ACIIN donation will help fill the gap for babies living in poverty, as well as take a world of weight off parents' shoulders - parents who are trying to raise healthy, happy families on a scant income.