One of the largest fundraisers of the year for the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation received strong support from the community.
The annual Radiothon for Life on April 18 raised a total of $104,615. Included in the total was a $50,000 commitment from a family to purchase the naming rights for the chemotherapy department of the hospital.
The identity of the donor will be announced at a later date.
“They called it in as a donation, which is pretty exciting,” said Travis Frank, the executive director for the foundation.
The hospital announced earlier in the day that it was proceeding with an expansion and relocation of the chemotherapy area.
Frank said the foundation was pleased with the support shown for the fundraiser. It was one of the highest off-air totals in the seven-year history of the event.
The remaining $54,615 will go to the hospital foundation’s general fund for the purchase of capital equipment.
“The hospital staff will apply to Greg (hospital CEO Greg Hoffort) to get funding, and then Greg will decide what is priority, and he’ll submit it to the hospital foundation, and we’ll approve what we see as a necessary fit,” said Frank. “We do that throughout the year, every year.”
The radiothon ran from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and was on Golden West Radio’s stations in Estevan. Hospital staff and volunteers took pledges and helped out in other capacities, and there were testimonials about the impact of the hospital.
“The testimonials were great,” said Frank. “We love hearing from a lot of our patients and from our staff, especially, just on the needs of some of the equipment at the hospital, on how that equipment affects their day-to-day lives, and hearing good stories on where this money’s going.”
A barbecue was held over the noon hour. Frank said the barbecue attracted more than 200 people, and volunteers helped cook the food.
The lunch hour was also their busiest time for donations, and then they remained busy during the afternoon, he said.
