It was with great excitement that St. Paul & District Hospital Foundation chair Linda Kryzanowski announced on Monday that about $79,032.51 was raised from the foundation’s annual gala, held on Saturday night.
“Isn’t that awesome?” she said giddily. The money raised will allow for the purchase of two panda warmers for the local hospital, equipment which measures newborn babies’ vitals and keeps them in a warm environment immediately after birth.
The foundation didn’t sell all of its tickets for the March 5 event, but there were hardly any empty seats left at the Recreation Centre and Kryzanowski said there was still excellent turnout and support.
“Everyone was so willing to participate in it so we could reach our goal,” she said. To nearly match the success of last year’s fundraising came as a bit of a surprise to the foundation members.
“As far as the year we’ve had in terms of our economy, we were just blown away,” said Kryzanowski. “It turned out to be a great gala.”
This year’s event featured some slight changes to the format, including making the silent auction move a little more quickly, which worked well, said Kryzanowski, adding that this will be the format for next year’s event as well.
Prior to the entertainment and auction on Saturday evening, a few quick speeches were offered.
Michelle Blanchette, site manager for the St. Therese Healthcare Centre, thanked those who volunteer to make the event possible, and acknowledged the importance of “keeping up with technology changes and equipment upgrades.”
The money raised over the years has helped in nearly every area of the hospital, from new surgical equipment, to a birthday bed for moms, and much more.
Dr. Albert Harmse also spoke to those in attendance. He explained that in the end, the fundraiser is for each person in the room, and benefits everyone who will ever be a patient at the hospital.
“In the end, it’s for you.”
Harmse also challenged the community to achieve the $1 million mark in funds raised next year.