One-day blitz raises $10,000 for Olds Hospital and Care Centre

In-person donations made during a free pancake breakfast, together with a radio-a-thon and online donations raised close to $10,000 on June 8 for the Olds Hospital and Care Centre's 2016 $100 Club fundraising campaign.

The goal of the campaign, which began at the beginning of this month, is to raise $50,000, which will be used to update wiring and television service in all rooms and lounges in the Olds Hospital and Care Centre.

About 240 people came out to the free pancake breakfast, provided at the Olds Legion Hall with help from the $100 Club campaign committee and the Olds Kiwanis Club.

Denis Kennedy co-chairs the $100 Club campaign committee along with Joe Gustafson. Kennedy is pleased with the money that came in. He notes however, that the campaign is still continuing for an undetermined length of time.

He says there's been some confusion in the public vis-a-vis the $100 Club.

Kennedy says a lot of people thought the $100 Club, set up last year, was a one-time thing. But it's actually an annual campaign.

“There's no end to it as long as there's a need for enhancing the care and comfort of residents and patients at the centre. Because that's what it's all about,” he says.

Kennedy says in the past hospitals and care centres got most of their funding from governments, but over time, that's changed.

“As the hospital becomes more aged and technology changes around you and the government is shorter and shorter of funds, then many health- care centres have moved to this thing, ‘I think we have to have funding on an ongoing basis,'” he says.

The name of the campaign itself has also been the source of some misunderstanding.

“It's a concept; the $100 club. You don't have to donate $100; donate what you can. But ‘what's a good donation? $100.' Some people donate more than that,” he says.

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