Jason Kerr
Daily Herald
The Watsonairs had their most successful spring concert ever this year, and they’re sharing the benefits.
In May, choir director Amy Robinson, president Louise Kirzinger, and treasurer Kathy Donahue were on hand to present an $8,000 cheque to Ronald McDonald House Charities Saskatchewan CEO Tammy Forrester. The donation will go towards the new Ronald McDonald House that’s under construction just east of Victoria Hospital.
Robinson said the group raised $5,000 with their spring concert last year, and were hoping to match that again this year, so the extra money was a welcome surprise.
“We were going to try something new this year with some social media outreach and email, a little bit more online, and no ticket sales,” Robinson said. “It was an experiment. We were hoping to make (it) even, and then we did this, so we know what we’re doing in the future.”
Construction has already started on the 12-room Prince Albert Ronald McDonald House. The facility is located at 791 25th Street West, and will include a communal kitchen, a dining room, living room, play space, smudge room, and family room.
Kirzinger said the decision to support Ronald McDonald House Charities was an easy one. There is already a large demand for the type of services it offers, and she anticipates that demand will only grow once the new hospital expansion is complete.
“Our health region services so much from the north,” she said. “For families to make a trip into Saskatoon is sometimes very onerous and they don’t have a support system there. Hopefully having this facility will make it possible for them to be closer to family while their children get the care they need.”
Construction began this spring and is expected to continue until early 2027. The house will support families whose children are undergoing treatments at nearby healthcare facilities.
The house has space to accommodate an estimated 494 families each year.
“The support to build the Ronald McDonald House – Prince Albert will ensure that families traveling to the Victoria Hospital in Prince Albert, for the health care of their child or children, have a place to stay, close to their child’s side,” Forrester said in a press release.
@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca
