“We’re doing some virtual fundraising,” said Christine Gray-St. Denis, philanthropic projects coordinator for the Hawkesbury & District General Hospital Foundation (HGH Foundation).
The COVID-19 pandemic forced cancellation of the annual golf tournament and other traditional fundraiser events that help the Foundation collect money to assist with projects, like purchasing cutting-edge diagnostic scanning equipment, to enhance the regional hospital’s services for patients.
Foundation staff and volunteers are now looking at taking some standard fundraiser ideas, like a 50-50 draw, and giving them a virtual twist. “We liked the simplicity of this one,” Gray-St. Denis said, regarding the HGH Foundation virtual 50-50 raffle. The plan is to have the virtual 50-50 set up on its own webpage, with a link from the HGH Foundation website, and ready in August for 50-50 fans to enter for the ongoing draws.
Foundation staff are also developing another virtual fundraiser project to unveil in the autumn. Details are secret until then. “But I think our community will be excited with this,” said Gray-St. Denis.
The Foundation is also helping promote the Virtual Bay Run event that takes place online from July 18 to 25. Participants in this year’s physical Bay Run in L’Orignal can sign up for this year’s virtual version at www.labaierun.ca. The idea is that participants will still be able to walk or run, but they will do so at a day, time, and location convenient for them while respecting the pandemic public health safety guidelines.
This year’s event include the traditional one-kilometre, five-kilometre, and 10-kilometre categories. Participants will have a choice of entering in half- and full-marathon or ultramarathon categories, and taking part in sprint and endure challenge classes.
Participants will receive notice of where to go on July 17 to collect their Bay Run race kits at locations in either Hawkesbury or Rockland.
Foundation wish list
This year, Gray-St. Denis noted, the Foundation has two main goals for its fundraising efforts. First is to provide as much help as possible in keeping the hospital supplied with the protective gear needed for staff and patients during the current pandemic situation.
The Foundation has issued a challenge to all local seamstresses to provide hand-sewn face masks suitable for use by visitors to the hospital and patients who may not have a mask when they arrive. “Anyone who is able to donate masks, can do so,” said Gray-St. Denis, citing the example of Annette and Tiffany Jones.
The mother-daughter duo sewed more than 200 face masks that they presented to Foundation officials earlier in July. Details on the mask-sewing project are available at www.hghfoundation.org or at613-632-1111, extension 21101.
The other fundraising focus for the Foundation is the There’s No Place Like Home campaign for the hospital’s orthopedic program so that area residents do not have to go to Ottawa for some kinds of orthopedic surgery.
“This can benefit so many people,” said Gray-St. Denis.
