115 Years of Service. A Future of Impact.
The Lifesaving Legacy
St. John Ambulance | Canada’s leading first aid charity
July 2026
Welcome to the inaugural edition of The Lifesaving Legacy. This is where we’ll share the stories behind the training, volunteers, and community programs that are helping build safer communities and the role you play in making it all possible. For 115 years, St. John Ambulance BC & Yukon has helped people prepare, respond, and care for one another. This legacy belongs to every student who learns first aid, every employer who invests in workplace safety, every donor who gives, every volunteer who shows up, every staff member who keeps the mission moving, and every supporter who believes communities are stronger when people are ready to help.
A Message from Leadership
A Legacy Built on Compassion, Courage, and Service
By Brendan L’Heureux, Interim CEO, St. John Ambulance BC & Yukon
Let me tell you a story.
More than 900 years ago, in the ancient city of Jerusalem, a group of people committed themselves to a simple but powerful purpose: caring for the sick, the vulnerable, and those in need. From this commitment grew the tradition of the Order of St. John – a legacy built on compassion, courage, service, and humanity.
Today, every time someone performs CPR, uses an AED, provides first aid, or steps forward during an emergency, they are carrying forward a legacy that began centuries ago. The skills we teach today are built upon generations of learning, sacrifice, innovation, and service. First aid did not emerge overnight. It evolved through battlefield medicine, medical discoveries, community needs, and the determination of ordinary people who refused to stand by when others needed help.
In 1883, St. John Ambulance delivered its first public first aid course in Canada, creating a movement that empowered everyday people with lifesaving skills. That mission continues today.
For 115 years, St. John Ambulance BC & the Yukon has trained communities, supported emergency preparedness, and equipped thousands of people with the confidence to respond when it matters most. But our work has never been only about teaching skills. It has always been about people. The person who performs CPR on a loved one. The volunteer who responds at an emergency event. The instructor who teaches someone their first lifesaving skill. The donor who ensures these programs continue. Each person is part of this remarkable legacy.
As we celebrate 115 years of service, we are also looking ahead – preparing St. John Ambulance B.C. & Yukon for the next generation. The future of first aid depends on all of us.
Together, we can ensure more people are prepared, more communities are resilient, and more lives are protected.
Pro Fide, Pro Utilitate Hominum: For the Faith, and in the Service of Humanity.
Your Impact in Action
Every course taken, every workplace trained, every gift made, and every hour volunteered helps build safer, more resilient communities. When someone learns first aid, they gain the confidence to respond in an emergency, and they also help sustain the community programs that bring care, preparedness, youth leadership, therapy dog visits, and volunteer response across B.C. and Yukon. Last year, that collective impact included:
individuals trained in lifesaving first aid
businesses supported in workplace safety
volunteers serving at over 1,600 events
facilities visited by Therapy Dog teams
youth developing emergency response skills
Community Highlights
FIFA Event Support
This is what preparedness looks like before an emergency happens. This summer, volunteers across British Columbia and the Yukon supported FIFA-related activities, providing first aid coverage and emergency readiness so spectators and participants could gather with confidence. To date, our volunteers have completed 49 shifts and dedicated more than 178 hours to these events – each hour a quiet investment in safer public spaces and stronger communities.
Annual Cadet Parade
The recent Annual Cadet Parade celebrated the growth of young leaders who are learning that service starts early. Through first aid education, teamwork, and leadership development, cadets build the skills and confidence to help others at school, at home, at community events, and wherever they may be needed. This year’s event honoured SJA youth volunteers who are already making a real difference throughout B.C. and Yukon – and helping shape the next generation of community responders.
Wildfire Response
When communities face crisis, compassion and preparedness matter. During recent wildfire efforts in the Lytton area, Kamloops volunteers supported evacuation centre operations, providing comfort and reassurance to displaced residents. While sensitive environments preclude photography, we are deeply grateful to have stood alongside those in need – demonstrating how training, volunteer commitment, and community support come together when people need care most.
Stories of Impact
A Second Chance: Tony’s Story
This is what training makes possible. Molly Milloy was 70 years old when she discovered that first aid truly becomes action when a crisis hits. When her friend Tony collapsed and stopped breathing, Molly’s St. John Ambulance CPR training took over. She performed CPR until first responders arrived, changing the outcome entirely. Tony later reflected, “I shouldn’t be here. If Molly hadn’t known what to do, I wouldn’t be.” Behind every person trained is a potential lifesaver – in the workplace, at home, and in the community.
Volunteer Voice
70+ Years of Service
Celebrating Marion MacKenzie | A Lifetime Dedicated to Helping Others
For more than 70 years, Marion MacKenzie has answered the call to serve.
As St. John Ambulance BC & Yukon’s longest-serving volunteer, Marion’s journey is more than a story of time given – it is a story of commitment, compassion, and a lifelong belief that helping others matters. Throughout her remarkable volunteer career, Marion has witnessed generations of change: the evolution of first aid training, advancements in emergency response, and the changing needs of the communities we serve.
But through every change, one thing has remained constant: People need people.
For more than seven decades, Marion has shown what happens when one person chooses to care, when they choose to show up, share their knowledge, and serve their community. Her dedication reminds us that a legacy is not built only through major milestones or anniversaries. A legacy is built quietly, through thousands of moments of service.
One lesson taught. One person helped. One life touched at a time.
As St. John Ambulance in British Columbia celebrates 115 years of service, Marion’s story reminds us that our greatest strength has always been our people and the volunteers who continue carrying this mission forward.
Featured Moments:
St. John’s Day Celebration
On June 24, St. John Ambulance BC & Yukon joined St. John organizations around the world in recognizing St. John’s Day. This year’s celebration was especially meaningful as we officially marked 115 years of service to communities across British Columbia
Burrard Street Bridge Shone Green
On the evening of June 23, the City of Vancouver came together to honour a historic milestone. Both the iconic Burrard Street Bridge and Vancouver City Hall were illuminated in brilliant St. John green, casting a glow across the city
Building the Next 115 Years
As we begin our next chapter, we are focused on strengthening the foundation that makes this work possible. The spaces where people learn, train, volunteer, and prepare are part of the lifesaving chain.
The 115 Years Campaign
This campaign supports the renewal of our facilities so instructors can teach, students can build confidence, volunteers can prepare, youth can grow, and communities can receive support when it matters most. We invite you to be part of this historic moment and part of the future of safer communities.
To support the 115 Years Campaign, please contact Francisca Ololo, Senior Manager, Philanthropy & Donor Relations, at Francisca.Ololo@sja.ca
Did You Know?
Seconds Matter
A cardiac emergency can happen anywhere, at work, at home, at a community event, or in a public space. Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), when used quickly alongside CPR, can significantly improve survival outcomes. Every person trained and every AED made available strengthens the chain of survival. Ensure your community is prepared.
This Month in History
The story of St. John Ambulance reaches back over 900 years to the Hospital of St. John in Jerusalem. In July 1099, Brother Gerard established a mission of caring for the vulnerable, a principle that remains unchanged today.
Looking Ahead
Summer Training Programs
Including First Aid courses and Babysitting Basics programs.
The Honourable Wendy Cocchia, C.M., O.B.C., LL.D. (Hon)
Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia
A Distinguished Celebration of Service
This fall, we are honoured to celebrate a remarkable moment in the history of St. John Ambulance BC & Yukon.
In October, we will gather to celebrate the Investiture Ceremony and Installation of The Honourable Wendy Cocchia, C.M., O.B.C., LL.D. (Hon), Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, as Dame of Justice and Vice-Prior of The Most Venerable Order of The Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem.
The Investiture Ceremony represents a proud tradition within the Order of St. John, formally recognizing and welcoming individuals who are entrusted to uphold its enduring values of service, compassion, and care for humanity. The Installation marks the beginning of this important role and celebrates a commitment to continuing the Order’s mission of making communities safer and stronger.
This special occasion will bring together members of the Order, community leaders, volunteers, and supporters to honour a shared dedication to service and celebrate the leadership that inspires us to continue making a difference.
We look forward to commemorating this meaningful milestone and celebrating a future shaped by compassion, service, and community.
Continuing Our 115-Year Legacy
Through service, training, volunteerism, and philanthropy.
A Heartfelt Thank You
We can fulfill our mission because of the support and commitment of our incredible St. John Ambulance community. As we reflect on the past year, we feel deep gratitude for every individual and organization that has stood by us as we strive to enhance community health, safety, and well-being.
We extend our thanks to:
Ways to Support
Whether you take a course, train your team, volunteer your time, make a donation, or share our story, you help build a safer future:
Learn: Take a first aid course and become someone who can respond when it matters.
Volunteer: Share your skills and time to support events, programs, and people in need.
Give: Contributions through gifts in will, securities, monthly giving, or cash donations help sustain the programs that bring care, preparedness, and connection to communities.
Every action matters. Every course, gift, shift, partnership, and shared story helps ensure more people are prepared, more workplaces are safe, and more communities are ready to care for one another.