The little town that could–and did!

Dear sir:
Only a few short weeks ago, we faced the daunting task of raising $300,000 to complete our community’s commitment of raising $1.2 million for our new Rainy River health facility.
Well, folks, we did it!
Not as a single group, town, or organization but a collection of individuals from across the district and, in fact, from across the continent. In April of this year, our new hospital will open and we will recognize all those who participated in this truly remarkable feat.
Briefly, however, we would like to recap how this success was achieved.
At the kick-off supper in October, the Rainy River Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion threw out the challenge of a dollar contribution for every two dollars raised by the community. It was an inspiration that worked.
Efforts and contributions transcended boundaries. Our business community dug deep. Area municipalities, in spite of tight budgets, made room. Person after person after person made the commitment.
Earle Armistead allowed his impeccable personal reputation to be tarnished by imprisonment and raised thousands in the process. School kids donated the proceeds of bottle drives.
Descendants of one family, now residing in California, and who probably will never benefit directly from our new hospital, sent a donation because their late mother sold fruitcake to help fundraise for the original Red Cross hospital now being replaced.
Our local newspapers, the Rainy River Record and the Fort Frances Times, volunteered the coverage and promotion for the “Buy a Brick-Build it Quick” campaign.
The biggest problem we experienced was getting the paper work finished and “running out of bricks” before we ran out of contributors. Not to worry, though, we made a few more bricks.
Thank you so much to everyone. You all deserve a pat on the back for a job well done.
Signed,
Larry Armstrong
and Norma Elliott