Heart Month Lunch 2026

We had an enthusiastic turnout of 19 Nanaimo Heart Sisters at our 2026 Heart Month Lunch when we gathered at the Simonholt restaurant in North Nanaimo on Saturday, February 21. The food and drinks were delicious, the service was prompt and we had lots of laughs playing games and visiting with our fellow Heart Sisters. Many thanks to Shelley Wilkins Wallace and Jane Saunders for organizing our special Heart Month event, especially for providing those dazzling decorations!

Please note: We’re missing a couple of members in the above group picture as they had to leave the luncheon early.

A highlight of our gathering was when co-founder Diane Shipclark did a quick review of our group’s activities in 2025. Our group supports the local push for the construction of a cardiac catheterization lab and a new patient tower at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (NRGH) that would serve communities in Central/North Vancouver Island. To that end, we’re doing our part to continue our advocacy and support for the Fair Care Alliance, the citizen-led group that continues to call for access to equitable health care for all residents living on Vancouver Island.

Diane noted that we’re also strong supporters of the Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation as its team works to improve health care services by conducting extensive fundraising campaigns for state-of-the-art medical equipment at NRGH. They also support critical care projects for all residents in the Central/North Vancouver Island region.

In addition to our advocacy efforts, Diane noted that our membership is steadily growing and now stands at close to 30 members! We were very happy to welcome our newest members to our annual Heart Month celebration!