It will be a big kick-off for the Emo hospital fundraising campaign this Friday night at the Legion there, with all 200 tickets for the dinner sold out.
Gerd O’Sullivan, chair of the fundraising committee, said Monday support for the event has been excellent so far.
“Not just by buying tickets but also by individuals and businesses donating things for the silent auction we’re having,” she noted.
Doors open at 6 p.m., with dinner being served at 6:30.
Proceeds from the dinner and auction will go towards the $2-million plus renovation planned for the hospital, which tentatively has been scheduled for 1999.
The local share of the project is around $600,000.
“This is the kind of inaugural event to share with the catchment area which goes from Stratton to La Vallee,” noted Percy Champagne, who is co-chairing the organizing committee for Friday’s dinner along with Emo hospital administrator Norma Elliott.
The doors open at 6 p.m., with dinner being served at 6:30. Then local entertainment will begin around 8 p.m., ranging from the Emo Community Children’s Chorus to adult singers.
“We’re hoping to garner the support of the communities [financially and generally] to renovate the hospital in Emo,” Champagne said.
He noted the hospital needed a new roof, in addition to a “fair bit of maintenance” to the building. Another cost will come from converting some of the hospital’s acute care facilities to long-term care ones.
O’Sullivan admitted they’re not going to have all the local share raised by next year but added they’ll keep plugging away at it. In the meantime, she hoped the renovation work would start anyway.
The fundraising effort doesn’t end with Friday night’s dinner. O’Sullivan already has lined up one raffle for the new year on a stained glass lamp donated by “A Touch of Glass” in Barwick.
She added they even may try to organize a cash raffle next summer although no details have been worked out yet.
“Because this [event] was such a success, maybe we’ll have another dinner or two,” she noted.
“This is the one that’s going to open it up for official fundraising,” agreed Champagne.
The fundraising committee also is still looking for volunteers, O’Sullivan said. Anyone interested can contact her at the Northwest Health Unit in Emo (482-2111).
“And we’ll only be too happy to put them to work,” she laughed.
Featured
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
