The Sturgeon Community Hospital Foundation held a successful gala last weekend, with over 600 St. Albertans coming together to support the local organization.
On Saturday, Jan. 28, the annual Friend-raiser Gala was held at the Enjoy Centre on Riel Drive, celebrating the foundation’s 30th anniversary in the community, and marking the first in-person event since early 2020.
Corinna Dooley, Sturgeon Community Hospital Foundation Board Member and Gala Chair, said the evening was a huge success.
“We welcomed over 620 people at the Enjoy Centre and we like to think of it as St. Albert's premier event of the year,” she said.
Dooley said the foundation sees the event as an opportunity to celebrate the many supporters of the foundation and to ensure the guests have a “wonderful experience.” The funds raised from the event will go toward the foundation’s ongoing capital goal of $1.5 million.
“It's still too early to tell what the what the funds raised [from the gala] are exactly, but we deem it to be an incredible success based on the buzz in the room. The generosity of people that were there, the generosity of sponsors, and donors leading up to the events. And of course, the evening as well,” Dooley said.
The foundation plans to put the capital funds raised toward the creation of an integrated clinical simulation centre at the Sturgeon Community Hospital— a learning tool for healthcare workers that allows for practicing skills in a simulated environment.
“We really see it as a dedicated space at the hospital that will be designed to support interdisciplinary learning where everyone who participates, the paramedic nurses, respiratory therapists, resident physician, can be a learner,” Dooley explained. “Simulation based learning really just provides opportunities for making mistakes, trying new skills and processes and learning together.”
“I think one of the key things is, as we look forward to the future of health care in St. Albert and in our community, the foundation is excited about the possibilities the simulation centre will bring to the community. We know that strong healthcare teams are already working in our hospitals. And we believe that they will continue to do so for the next 30 years and beyond. But we believe this is a real piece that can raise the collective competence of the healthcare professionals at the hospital,” Dooley added.
As for future events, the foundation is planning for their annual golf tournament this August.
For more information about the Sturgeon Community Hospital Foundation’s fundraising efforts and future events, visit sturgeonhospitalfoundation.org.
