Cheryl Perry loves her job.

“There’s a lot of diversity in what I do,” says the executive assistant at the Huntsville District Memorial Hospital Foundation.

At the foundation, Perry’s responsibilities range from administrative tasks like reporting, event management and donor relations to graphic design for letterhead, brochures, the foundation website and touchscreen.

Best of all, there are many opportunities to try out new ideas. “Our goal is to have one new idea per day. You have to think outside of the box in this career,” she says.

“And there’s no typical day. That’s the beauty of it,” continues Perry, who is three-quarters of the way through the program to receive a her post-graduate certificate in Fundraising from Georgian College. “The only typical thing is smiling faces coming in, sometimes to give and sometimes just to chat. Our donors are just incredible.”

Since she began working at the foundation in 2003, Perry has been amazed by people’s generosity.

“It’s humbling,” she says. “People come out of the blue and help because they love their hospital and love their community. We couldn’t do it without them.”

Some people contribute their time as well as money, she notes, coming in to stuff envelopes and get other jobs done in the foundation office.

Right now, the foundation is in the planning stages of a campaign to help fund the renovation of the hospital’s diagnostic imaging department.

“It’s going digital,” Perry explains. “That will cut down on time for patients to get immediate care, and it also provides convenience for patients. The imaging machine is less invasive and reduces discomfort.”

She describes what a difference the upgrade will make to both patients and staff. “It’s so exciting. All of us make dreams come true here at the foundation,” she says. “It’s the best job I’ve ever had.”

Perry and her husband first moved here from southern Ontario in 1989, a year after marrying. Perry’s parents had semi-retired here and she joined the family business, Lindal Cedar Homes. The couple stayed until 1992 and then moved for her husband’s employment.

“It takes about two years to get Huntsville in your blood,” she says. “As soon as we went away we knew Huntsville was where we wanted to be. It took us seven years to make it back.”

The mother of two boys, Ryan, 11 and Scott, 8, lives for summers on the water. “I’m not a winter person,” she says. “It’s pretty, but it’s long.”

In the summer, the family is out on their boat as much as possible. “It’s a good way to be with family, building memories for the kids,” Perry says.

They use the public access points at Avery Beach or Brunel, then either visit friends, ski or just float.

“We have such a good, simple summer,” she says.

Her sons are in the alternate school year program at Huntsville Public School, which Perry says is a perfect fit.

“The children get a break every nine weeks,” she explains. “They need the opportunity to refresh themselves. There’s a real focus on learning and refreshing, and it’s much easier for families in terms of daycare issues.”

After mentioning the problems with declining enrolment being experienced across the Trillium Lakelands District School Board, Perry comments, “The children would be very disappointed if they lost it.”

Perry is kept busy running around for her kids to activities such as hockey, swimming and basketball.

“My enjoyment is them, to see what they’re doing,” she says. “When I was young I wished for a beautiful house. Now, I want health and happiness for my family. It sounds corny, but as you get older it just connects somehow. You discover what really matters.”

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