Riverside dinner tops $18,000

While there may been slightly fewer people in attendance, and slightly less money raised, organizers still are calling the “Rockin’ with Riverside” fundraiser dinner here Saturday night a “number-one hit.”
“We thought it was a success. With everything else that’s been going on, we were a little concerned,” said Joan Allison, chair of the special events committee, referring to other charity events that have been held recently or are scheduled in the next month or so.
“We were down a table or two, but everything worked out well,” she added. “It ended up being a success—those who came had fun. We thought everybody was having a great time.
“All the people that got dressed up was incredible,” Allison remarked. “And the dance just took off. People remembered back to their high school days, or back to their 20s.
“It was nice to see all that enthusiasm.”
“All in all, it was great time,” said Foundation director Teresa Hazel. “With all the fundraising that goes in the community, the generosity definitely shows people are dedicated to having health care close to home.”
Foundation chair Tammy Kellar, whose own mother has been ill recently, offered as few heartfelt words to the 160 people gathered at the Red Dog Inn for the sixth-annual dinner.
“Now it has become a very personal thing to our family that the quality of health care be maintained,” she remarked.
This year’s event brought in about $18,500—split between tickets sales, raffles, and silent auction proceeds, and about $4,500 in financial donations.
The evening featured a “Rock Around the Clock” silent auction (featuring various clocks, watches, and rock-and-roll type items up for grabs, as well as some homemade crafts), “hoola hoop” and “Name that Tune” contests, and a “soda shop” serving up theme drinks.
There even was a “kissing pond,” where people could fish for prizes such as breath mints and toothbrushes for some smooching later on in the night.
Allison also put together a ’50s trivia contest, which saw 42 people pitch in a toonie to see if their answers were right. Dick Lyons ended up the winner, taking home $42 (50 percent of the contest proceeds).
Some small prizes also were handed out several dinner-goers who dressed as if they stepped out of ’50s, including “Pelvis” Chapman of Happy Chappy’s Swingin’ Sounds (Adrian Chapman), Diane Cherry, the entire Gillons’ Insurance table, and others.
And the always popular raffle, featuring the grand prize of a fly-in fishing trip for two for three days and four nights, donated by Jay and Cheryl Handberg of Campbell’s Cabins, was won by Percy Champagne
The second prize of a $200 gift certificate donated by Canada Safeway was claimed by Murray Weir while the third prize—a pamper yourself package that includes a manicure, pedicure, and dinner for two donated by Kettles Restaurant and Jayne’s TLC—ended up going to Tom Fry and Diane Leek.
The Foundation gave $1.1 million to Riverside Health Care Facilities Inc. over the past year.
This year, it’s estimated some $600,000 will be turned over to go towards building and renovation costs at district hospitals, as well as equipment for surgical services, emergency, laboratory, and diagnostic imaging at La Verendrye.
Renovations are expected to get underway at the hospital here sometime this spring.