Two weeks ago the Rose Garden Hospice received a sizable boost from an anonymous donor in Ontario.
According to a Hospice press release, organizers got in touch with the donor after he left a message asking to be contacted. The donor said he had an interest in hospices, and after a lengthy conversation he said he would like to make a sizeable donation to the Care for Comfort campaign, but didn’t reveal how big it would be. When the cheque arrived, it was for $30,000.
“We were overjoyed at the money coming in at such a crucial time,” Marina Mitchell, who is chair of the funding committee said in the release.
“It really gives us a boost in a time that we are just starting to build because we will have to continue fundraising. We have enough to build the hospice but then we have to deal with outfitting the inside and doing all of the finishing work,” Madeleine Wrigley, vice chair of the funding committee, added.
They explained that the donor had been following the progress of the project and was concerned about the difficulties in getting a building permit. The building permit issue had already been resolved a week ago, but Mitchell said it was still a surprise to see someone from so far away take interest in the project.
“Obviously, this gentleman understands the real need for hospice care, and has compassion for people who are in their last days of life, that they be cared for surrounded by those they love and who love them in a peaceful surrounding,” Mitchell said.
“It gives us goosebumps, it really does, and we are just full of excitement about this. It is just another big milestone for us and it gives us all renewed belief that this is happening. It’s an exciting time is all I can say,” Wrigley added.
Now that the building permit has been issued, the Hospice can focus on the sod turning. The hospice will take about a year to construct and the organization now have enough funds to finish by fall. Wrigley said they expect to have an official groundbreaking on July 16.
Mitchell explained their fundraising efforts will be ongoing while the hospice is being constructed as they have not met our goal yet and still need about $1.5 million to finish the building in the inside and outfit it for our guests.
“We still will have to fundraise and to have someone in Canada donate that large of a sum of money it is just amazing. There is lots of hospices in Ontario but this is really new to Saskatchewan. For an anonymous donor to just take an interest in hospice care is amazing so we are quite thrilled about this,” Wrigley said.
The donor did not want his name publicized and the Rose Garden Hospice Association agreed to respect his privacy.
