Small City Heroes: Deacon Bernie

Meet Deacon Bernie

Last August, Portland Street Honda concluded its 4th annual Race to 1000 in support of the IWK Foundation. Over the course of 4 months, a portion of every vehicle we sold (with the goal of selling 1000) would go toward donating a total of $50,000 to the IWK to help with equipment and services.

Not only did the generous support of our customers help us reach our goal, but the 1000th vehicle was sold to Deacon Bernie Coffin, a proud member of the IWK support team. Deacon Bernie has been a minister for 37 years and has been sharing his time with IWK for over six years.

When we sat down with the Deacon to ask him about his experience, he got right to the point: “Isn’t it funny that my car was the one thousandth one.”

We certainly had to agree.

Only moments after signing the paperwork, Deacon Bernie received a call informing him that the IWK Trauma Crisis Team (of which he is a member) was needed at the hospital right away. “When that happens, you have 40 minutes to get there" he said.

When we asked the Deacon a bit about his role at the IWK, he didn’t hesitate in his reply. “It’s an amazing place. I really enjoy what I do there. I have scheduled shifts for visiting the hospital, but I’m on the Trauma Crisis Team as well, so when they call everyone goes to the hospital to prepare. A big part of my job on the team is to be with the family. When I’m there for my shifts, I’m meeting with the parents, praying with the children, and baptizing babies. I’ve seen miracles there, I really have. We are so blessed to have such an incredible place so close.”

One of the features of the IWK that seems to stand out to the Deacon is the staff and volunteers. “So many people don’t know what goes on behind the scenes there. (Everyone there) does an incredible job. There’s a nurse there that stands outside the door (of the trauma room), and I don’t know how she does it, she must have hearing like Superman, but they’ll open the door looking for something, and she’ll have it right there for them. They don’t even ask, she just has it ready and she hands it to them. There’s a cleaning woman there and if she’s doing her work and a family comes in, she’ll ask them where they’re going and take them right up to the rooms. I’ve met some awesome people (at the IWK), and sometimes I ask myself how they do it. You can’t ask for a better place. I just can’t say enough about what happens there.”

We’d like to thank Deacon Bernie for generously sharing his time with us and for choosing Portland Street Honda and the Race to 1000 for the IWK.