By paNOW

Victoria Hospital radiothon: enormous community fundraising effort

Dec 1, 2017 | 11:11 AM

The money just kept rolling in for the biggest one-day fundraiser of the year, the 12th Annual Give A Little Life Day – Bringing Good Medicine, radiothon at the Victoria Hospital.

When all was said and done the community helped raise enough funds to ensure crucial new equipment at the facility.

On a day of generosity,fun and community spirit the donations and pledges kept flooding in. In just the first three hours of Friday’s event which kicked off at 6 a.m. $123,000 was raised, and by noon that total stood at over $200,000. The total had jumped to $280,000 by mid-afternoon and a donation from a family estate then advanced the total to around $345,000 late afternoon.

When the final tally was announced at 6 p.m. it emerged that $351,589 had been raised, tantalizingly close to the $400,000 target set by organizers for a new automated pill packaging system at the hospital pharmacy. However the Victoria Hospital Foundation was eager to stress donations would most certainly still be accepted even though the radiothon deadline had passed.

Radio show hosts from CKBI, XFM and Power 99 were camped at the main entrance to the hospital all day for a special live broadcast interviewing donors and staff about the importance of the community rallying round this year’s event.

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One of the early guests on-air summed up the importance of the day and how far-reaching the cause is.

Don McKay, the vice president of human resources at the Prince Albert Parkland Health Region went on-air with an appeal in Cree for people to come forward and donate.

“This is a cause and a day that affects everyone far and wide,” he told paNOW.  “I called out to all the Cree speakers in and around the P.A. area and the northern areas to call in and support this day and donate as much as they can possibly afford.”

There were other special appeals later in the day including in the Dene language from Anne Robillard of Athabasca Basin Development.

The money raised will go to a new pill packaging system that will replace the old manual system and free up pharmacy staff to spend more time with patients.

Organizers stressed how important it is to have the right medications and understand fully why, when, and how to take them.

For anyone still wishing to donate you can do so at www.helpthevic.ca or call the foundation.

glenn.hicks@jpbg.ca

On Twitter:@princealbertnow