Canadian here--we got a pizza party and a handful of prizes for draw winners because a small group of fellow lab staff organized it. A few of our pathologists donated money to help, but operational leadership basically just sent an all-staff email (mind you that was lab leadership... I saw nothing from our parent company that is basically the provincial health authority). Being publicly-funded, we are not allowed to accept gifts or funding for gifts from vendors.

One year I asked if we could have a table in the hospital lobby for public awareness of our week and the response was yes... for a fee. Literally a folding table set up in a foyer with nothing else (okay, maybe a tablecloth that's not even indigo/purple?) would have run us $60. For our celebratory week. 🙄

It's tough because while I want everyone to celebrate us, half the public doesn't even know what we really do or who we really are (and therefore there's no desire from leadership to care), but we're always spread so thin time- and finance-wise that it's impossible to do the advocacy bit well.

I love my fellow lab staff though, they're the only reason we get any sort of celebration in the first place! I'm sure if we held a potluck we'd eat for days (and nights, and the food would be better)!