Question: what do you get for the hospital with an extensive wish list? Jackie White has the answer and it comes in six digits.
The president of the Sturgeon Hospital Auxiliary Volunteer Association (SHAVA) presented a cheque for $105,500 to hospital director Wendy Tanaka-Collins on Monday. It’s the same amount that the organization provided last year.
“The last few years it’s been 105… 105… so we’re pretty much on par still. It’s a very good feeling for us to be able to help our community hospital, to help provide the extras,” White said.
“Our motto is ‘the added touch’ and we are pleased to provide the added touch to the hospital, the staff and the patients. It’s very rewarding for us to do it.”
The money hasn’t yet been earmarked for anything specific. After receiving the cheque, Tanaka-Collins will notify the heads of the various hospital departments who then give her their equipment requests and SHAVA finalizes the shopping list.
That SHAVA has been able to maintain the $105,000 annual donation is a credit to the group’s efforts and determination to raise funds.
For the last three years, the SHAVA Gift Shop has been relocated to the basement in order to make room for the hospital’s construction project. Because of this, sales have gone down significantly, impacting the funds available to then be donated back.
The good news is that a recent casino brought in about $18,000 plus a special community fundraiser at the Rona store in November provided what White characterized as “a sizeable donation.”
While they continue on with smaller fundraisers here and there, sales at the SHAVA Bookstore in Grandin Mall have picked up nicely.
“Our bookstore is basically keeping us afloat,” she said.
She added that SHAVA’s 210 volunteers contributed more than 21,000 volunteer hours within the 12-month period that ended on March 31.
“It’s amazing. We’re very proud of that fact.”
White said that the true number is unknown because she knows that not all of the hours are recorded.
SHAVA expects to start moving into its new home in the hospital’s main entrance area sometime next week.
