From facecloths to furniture and medical equipment, the needs at the Foothills Country Hospice are many and never ending.
The hospice is hosting its annual fundraising gala Oct. 28 at the Foothills Centennial Centre. This year there will be a live band and surprise entertainment throughout the evening.
Foothills Country Hospice executive director Dawn Elliott said the team is excited about this year’s event.
“This is our major fundraiser,” said Elliott. “We count on this one a lot.”
It costs about $950 per day to care for patients in the eight beds at the hospice, she said, and about 100 patients and their families receive care each year. The annual budget is about $2.8 million, she said.
The hospice receives 61 per cent of its funding from Alberta Health Services and makes up the difference of more than $1 million through donations and fundraising initiatives, she said. Last year the gala raised $148,000.
Each year brings a new challenge with different needs for the hospice, she said.
“The money from the gala goes toward a number of different things,” said Elliott. “At the hospice each year we compile a wish list of items and we have items on there we really need and we have items we would want.”
It could be replacing patient beds or new bedroom furniture for the guest rooms, like new mattresses, she said. Families of patients stay in the guest rooms and need to be taken care of too, she said.
She said in nearly 10 years of operation the mattresses have never been replaced and some of the equipment and furniture are getting a little worn out.
“There are all kinds of items that need to be repaired or replaced, so it depends what we have on our list and what takes priority,” said Elliott. “All the patient and family member items come up first, of course.”
She said the gala will include a donor board listing all the items needed at the hospice so people can directly purchase specific things required by the facility, like face cloths for patients, which are replaced on a regular basis and are a smaller-ticket item for someone to be able to supply.
“It gives everyone an opportunity to really make a difference,” said Elliott.
Tickets for the gala are $150 each or $1,100 for a table and can be purchased online at www.countryhospice.org or by calling the office at 403-995-4673.
