The Radiothon For Life has once again seen strong support from the local community, with $252,044.32 being raised to support the St. Joseph's Hospital Foundation here in Estevan.
Donations were accepted from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with a free lunch being held over noon and from 5 to 7 p.m.
This year, the funds raised are going towards the MRI project, which looks to bring an MRI machine to Estevan to cut down on wait times and speed up the growing wait list.
Foundation Executive Director Lori Gervais says that even though Estevan was hit with another rainy day, people still showed up to make their donations.
"It's great to see all the donors come in new faces, old faces, so committed faces that will show up no matter the weather. You know, here we are again with not the greatest day. And yet, here we are with $250,000 later. So obviously, people do what they can and they support the foundation and they support this MRI project like you wouldn't believe."
Last year's total reached over $185,000 raised, with donations post-event tipping it over $192,000. With a record-breaking $252,044.32 raised, Gervais says that'll go wonderfully towards the $6.5 million that the hospital is putting towards the MRI machine.
That included a very big donation, which helped to push the Radiothon For Life's goal up to massive heights.
"This is our 14th annual radiothon, so there have been some great ones, but this one definitely is a big one for us. MRI is an important project to everybody. We've had some great donations. We've had some heartfelt donations. We want to thank Del Wanner from the bottom of our hearts, him coming in memory of his wife to donate to after her care was so wonderful here. $100,000 is a phenomenal donation. And we couldn't do it without donations like that."
With various volunteers, hospital staff and sponsors, the community came out to make the day even more special, according to Gervais.
"I always thank everybody. The support from our volunteers is incredible. The sponsors that support us every year, the businesses that show up for us, all of the third-party fundraising people do. It's an important cause. It's not a hard sell. I have people always wanting to support, and we thank them again and again."
Now, the MRI project needs just under a million dollars to hit their total. Gervais hopes that with the events they have planned this year, they'll be able to get that done.
"We're at $5,666,000, which means we're under a million to go. We're at $833,000. And we still have lots on the go. We have all kinds of raffles. We've got some e-bikes. We've got the 'Golf the Southeast' Raffle. The Elks is going to do a golf tournament for us. We've got all kinds of things still happening. There are donations still coming in, and it's incredible to see."
Emmanuel Health, who owns St. Joseph's Hospital, has ordered the MRI machine from Siemens Healthcare Canada earlier this year. Construction has begun for the long-awaited medical equipment and the new space it'll be housed in. They estimate that patients could be using the MRI in Estevan as soon as summer 2026.
Anyone interested in donating towards the project can give at the St. Joseph's Hospital Foundation's website.