Hundreds of local residents were taken back to the ‘ye olde days' Feb. 15 as the Bonnyville Health Foundation staged its 17th annual hospital gala at the Centennial Centre's field house, treating those in attendance to “A Medieval Knight.”
Laura Sheplawy, an employee at the Bonnyville Health Centre and a member of the Bonnyville Health Foundation, announced the event had so far raised “$225,000 and counting” when speaking to the Nouvelle last week, an amount that will once again allow the hospital to purchase or upgrade equipment that it would otherwise not be able to afford.
Guy Lamoureux, Chief of Medical Staff at the hospital, said he was “forever grateful” to the community for their “excellent, continued support.”
“I think the gala is always a great event for a couple of reasons – times are tough right now in health care and extra funds are certainly very welcome for us to have the ability to purchase equipment we wouldn't otherwise get,” Lamoureux said. “But I think more important than that is the way that Bonnyville has always had a team approach to health care. And by team, I mean doctors, nurses, local politicians and the wider community.”
He added, “Everybody seems to pull together to try and make things work even in tough times and the gala is really the peak example of that. The hospital staff puts a lot of work into putting it on, and the community puts a lot of work into donating, whether it be monetary on some of the fantastic silent and live auction items on show – the response we see every year is tremendous.”
This year's funds will be going towards the purchase of a $150,000 telemetry system, two hysteroscopes, a mini fragment set, an adjustable sink for the MDRD (Medican Device Reprocessing Department), three vaginal probes and three Stryker stretchers.
The night began with a calm and welcoming harp performance by Edmonton-based Elise Neeland before Roy Doonanco, chair of the Bonnyville Health Foundation, took to the stage to welcome all those in attendance. Doonanco announced the annual gala had raised $1.6 million since its inaugural fundraiser in 1998, all of which has gone towards improving services at the Bonnyville Health Centre.
Dr. Leonard de Freitas took to the stage following the evening feast – provided by Master Caterers and sponsored by Imperial Oil – saying for one night only he was putting away his stethoscope to become a financial advisor for the event's 700 plus attendees.
“Tonight, I'm going to ask you to invest in something that matters to you – your health care,” de Freitas said. “I've always been a big fan of community involvement in health care. It's time for you to take charge of your health care, your investment will be seen by you, your kids and it will save lives. So invest tonight!”
Several businesses operating in the Bonnyville area heeded that advice, opening their cheque books to collectively donate $167,573 to the foundation. Leading the way was the Canadian Natural Resources Limited Wolf Lake Kirby Group, who gave $40,000, while the Bonnyville-based B&R Eckels once again stepped up to the plate, donating $25,000.
The Bonnyville Festival of Trees gave $15,000, a figure matched by CNRL. The Bonnyville Lions Club, Cougar Fuels, the MD of Bonnyville, Nova Gas and the Bonnyville Pontiacs each donated $10,000.
The live auction, conducted by auctioneer Marc Jubinville, brought in just shy of $82,000, with a 2014 Honda Quad, a theatre room package and a trip to Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee the top selling items. Following the live auction, 14 members of the local community answered the call from Jubinville to donate $1,000 – bringing in an extra $14,000 for the hospital.
Long-time foundation member and the evening's master of ceremonies Vic Sadlowski said he was “blown away” by the generosity once again on display at the annual gala.
“I thought the night went really, really well. Of course, there's things we can always look to improve on, but the generosity of the people in this community amazes me year after year,” Sadlowski said. “People buy these auction items knowing darn well they can go and buy the same thing downtown on Monday morning for a third of the price, and that just amazes me.”
Lamoureux said it was incredible to see the support the local hospital receives from the public on a yearly basis, saying without them the hospital would not have the capability to provide the quality of health care local residents have come to expect.
“Having the ability to upgrade and buy new equipment really helps our facility provide high quality care even in tough times,” Lamoureux said. “It's unbelievable to be able to call on the community for support in a variety of ways – obviously the financial aspect is vital, but the moral support we get from the community is tremendous also, and I don't think anyone should underestimate the power of that.”
