The committee that is working to bring a STARS Air Ambulance helipad to the Galloway Health Centre in Oxbow moved one step closer to their goal on March 18 with a successful Dueling Pianos fundraising concert at the Oxbow Prairie Horizons School.
Janelle Farnden, who is part of helipad committee, said they sold 210 tickets, and she estimates they raised between $13,000 and $15,000.
Fast Trucking Services in Carnduff made a generous donation that covered much of their costs.
“This event definitely exceeded our expectations,” said Farnden. “We were very happy with the turnout of people and the amount of money that we raised.”
The two pianists who performed that night, Chance Devlin and Harvey Flemming, were very good, she said. They had a lot of fun and they were thrilled with the audience.
“They said they would definitely be back,” said Farnden.
Devlin and Flemming took requests from the audience, and if people left a tip, the song would be played sooner. The pianists donated the tips back to the helipad committee.
The fundraiser also gave the committee the opportunity to build awareness. Some people have approached the committee about donations and opportunities to support future events. The details for their next event have not been finalized.
The committee has now raised about $30,000 for the construction of the helipad.
At the moment, they are waiting for the engineered designs of the helipad, and they hope to have them soon. Once the drawings are in place, the committee will have a better idea of how much the project will cost.
