‘Extremely grateful’: Slain officer’s memorial fund helps students, RVH

Georgian College’s Orillia campus and the Royal Victoria Regional Health Center (RVH) in Barrie are the first two recipients of a memorial fund dedicated to the memory of a fallen local police officer.

The Devon Northrup Memorial Fund was established in honor of Const. Devon Northrup, who paid the ultimate price during a shooting in Innisfil on October 11, 2022, aged 33.

A beloved friend and family member and a valued member of the South Simcoe Police Service, Northrup’s family established the memorial fund through the Innisfil Community Foundation, which attended Georgian College’s Orillia campus Monday afternoon to pay funds in honor of Northrup.

Georgian College has been awarded $12,000 to award two annual scholarships to students in the Police Foundations and Counseling Psychology programs for the next three years. RVH received $16,457 to purchase equipment that will help patients who do not speak communicate their needs.

“The Northrup family is grateful to the Innisfil Community Foundation for making the Devon Northrup Memorial Fund possible as a means of continuing Devon’s legacy of helping others. We are delighted to be here to witness the first grant presentations from Devon’s Memorial Fund,” the Northrup family said in a press release.

“These grants will provide financial assistance to Georgian College students in the Police Foundations Program and the Honors Bachelor of Counseling Psychology Program; and will provide the Royal Victoria Hospital’s emergency and intensive care units with innovative technology to help care for patients. We are overwhelmed by the generosity of our donors, without whom we would not be here today to see Devon’s name alive in these good works. He would have been humbled to know his part in it. Thank you all very much.”

RVH officials said the new equipment will be “life-changing” for hospital patients because it uses eye-tracking technology to control a speech-generating device.

“Before, our patients literally didn’t have a voice,” said Katelyn Dewar, RVH Foundation Donor Advocacy Manager. “Now they can communicate not only with other health care providers, in terms of pain management or whatever their needs are, but it also allows them to communicate with their loved ones. From an emotional and healing perspective, this will change people’s lives.

“We are extremely grateful to the Devin Northrup Memorial Foundation,” she said.

Georgia officials said the new awards will have an impact for students and help commemorate Northrup’s legacy.

“These awards are going to make a big impact here and are attached to two really important programs,” said David Bell, associate vice president for advancement and alumni relations at Georgian College.

“Thank you so much for investing in our students and for investing in the future.”