The North Central Health Care Foundation was looking to raise money for pediatric equipment for medical staff at the Melfort Hospital.
The organization found a unique new way by hosting their Dancing with the Stars fundraiser on Nov. 19 at Swartout Hall in the Kerry Vickar Centre.
Peggy George, past chair of the North Central Healthcare Foundation and member of the organizing committee, credited Dinah Olson and Jennifer Peterson for planning the event.
“She (Dinah) is an ER nurse at the hospital and in conversation with one of the doctors, Dr. (David) Boyle, they were talking about how they needed better equipment or they needed certain equipment to look after pediatric patients,” George explained. “Presently, there was just some items that were missing that they would like, (and) it’s all expensive, really expensive.”
She added that Olson had done a similar event in the past and thought it would be a an excellent fit for what the Foundation wanted to do.
“Between her and her girlfriend (Peterson) they did it all,” George. “They organized it. They got the dancers, the sponsors. It was absolutely incredible the amount of work that they did and all for the North Central Healthcare Foundation.
The list of dancers included Dr. Eden Strydom and Dinah Olson, Dr. Yemi Laosebikan and Faluke Laosebikan, Doug Kurtenbach and Cindy Kurtenbach, Melfort MLA Todd Goudy and Tannis Goudy and a dance by nursing staff to the song “9 to 5” by Dolly Parton. The other pairings were Dr. Robert Steffan and Evie Steffan and Dr. Danielle Desjardins and Brian Farley.
The Judges’ Choice Award went to Desjardins and Farley. The People’s Choice Award was presented to Robert and Evie Steffan.
George said it was nice that the dancers represented a broad range of health professionals and people in the community. She said everyone who participated knows about healthcare and care about the work that the Foundation does.
“It was not just medical people. it included the MLA—everybody knows him—and Doug (Kurtenbach) who used to at one point be on the foundation board,” George said. “Cindy has worked at the hospital for 19 years, so they know what the work is that the foundation does and they know about healthcare and they care about healthcare.”
Chisa Glendenning choreographed most of the dancers. Bree Tallon of Dancers Edge choreographed the “Nurses” group dance.
George said that the entire event was beyond everyone’s belief and expectations.
“It was just a royal treatment for all of the guests, for the dancers, absolutely everyone in charge,” she said. “For everyone involved it was absolutely amazing.”
George said that she had never been to an event like Dancing with the Stars, or the similar Swinging with the Stars for Hope’s Home in Prince Albert.
“I didn’t really know what to expect and how they were going to do it,” George said. “Were they all going to do the same dance and then be judged that way? Nope. Every dance was so different (and) the music was different.”
Even though she was on the committee she was not aware of all of the work that goes into it and was pleasantly surprised.
“When it started and the guest dancers came out and they started to do their dance, and then about halfway through, a lot of other dancers from dance studios in Naicam, Spalding, and Melfort came out and danced with and around our dancers, it was just amazing,” she said. “I don’t know how to describe it. It was just amazing.”
George said the fundraiser was taped and she plans to watch it over again.
George said she appreciated every competitor who took part.
“None of these people that were dancing are what they call dancers,” she said. “Some of them have never danced before in their life for whatever reason and to be able to be choreographed by a professional dancer, like there’s a lot of stress and a lot of pressure. It took hours and hours and hours of practicing, but at showtime, the look of fun and happiness and joy on their faces, those smiles are etched in my brain because they just totally enjoyed the whole episode.”
George said that an especially nice part of the evening was the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation donation of $37,141.89.
“I know how hard it is for foundations to raise money and everybody has a good cause nowadays, so when another foundation steps up to the plate and supports another foundation, I’m still not used to that idea,” she said.
During a radiothon in 2019 the Pattison Foundation also donated $10,000 to create a Power Hour when North Central was raising money for an incubator
“We exceeded our goal by $30,000 after it was all said and done.
She said that when the Pattison Foundation found out the Dancing with the Stars was for pediatric equipment they jumped at the chance because that is also the work of their foundation.
“They keep telling me they are a provincial foundation, so they’re not just a Saskatoon hospital or a Saskatoon foundation,” George said. “They are for everyone in the province and they want to keep our families at home, as close to home as they can, so they jumped on board.”
The event was sold out and had over 500 people in attendance. Final fundraising totals were not available for deadline.
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
