The 16th Annual Give a Little Life Day Campaign –Your Day, Your Hospital, Your Health raised more than $350,000 for the Victoria Hospital Foundation thanks to the generosity of Prince Albert residents.
The 12 hour radiothon was hosted on Friday, Dec. 3 and broadcast across 900 CKBI, Beach Radio and Power 99. It featured numerous stories from clinical staff throughout the hospital.
“We did very well. We are extremely grateful,” Victoria Hospital Foundation CEO Sherry Buckler said.
“It’s extremely important every year we raise money for something very important within the hospital. If it wasn’t for our communities, if it wasn’t for our donors, so much in our hospital wouldn’t be possible.”
The campaign raised $351,281.68 in total, and Buckler expects they will reach $400,000 by the end of the month as donations continue to flow in.
“They have changed the face of healthcare in our community over the last 16 years,” she said.
Community members answered the call for help through donating online, over the phone and through the drive thru bay at Mann Northway’s location.
The numerous large donations included a $100,000 gift at the end of the day from Prince Albert philanthropists, Gordon and Jill Rawlinson.
“That was just magnificent,” Buckler said. “It was an absolute astounding gift and we are over the moon.”
Money raised from this year’s radiothon will be used for the most urgently needed equipment and technology throughout the Victoria Hospital—from the ICU and lab to surgical units and long term care facilities.
“The pandemic has really shone a light on our hospital here in the community and it has really exposed a lot of the gaps in healthcare and urgent needs,” Buckler explained. “Every area of our hospital has an urgent needs list, so our idea this year was to raise money for the hospital and be able to respond to those needs in real time partnership with our local health authority representatives, physicians and nurses.”
Buckler added that the Intensive Care Unit and Emergency Room require new monitors and the Pediatric Unit requires defibrillators.
“There is just so much right across the board that we wanted to raise money for that entire list,” she explained. “But, we also wanted to take the opportunity to highlight every area of the hospital and the role that it has played during this pandemic and how critical each area is.”
She thanked the community for their continued generosity in supporting the Victoria Hospital Foundation.
“Our community is part of our Foundation and we never take for granted their generosity and their ability to make change happen right here in Prince Albert and the Victoria Hospital. They are our champions, I mean we have been celebrating the bravery and dedication of our health care professionals and we continue to do so,” Buckler said.
“This radiothon really it was about celebrating our community and about their generosity and supporting local healthcare. We know and appreciate that every donation is a choice. It’s a decision to support our hospital and change the lives of our patients. And it’s that knowledge that’s at the root of our deep gratitude,” she added.
Anyone who missed donating and would still like to do so can call the Foundation at (306)765-6105 or visit www.helpthevic.ca.
