A $50,000 donation is hoping to help out the St. Joseph's Hospital MRI project, which is nearing its finish line of over $6 million. The company donating the funds is Western Fiberglass, which has supported the foundation during events like the Festival of Trees in the past.
Ken Wallewein, the president of Western Fiberglass and a board member for St. Joseph's Hospital, talks about why they decided to give that money.
"We've wanted to participate in the fundraising for the MRI. We think it's a great opportunity to bring a piece of equipment that will be of huge benefit to all of southeastern Saskatchewan, and happy that we were able to participate in a small way."
As a board member, Wallewein says he's been passionate about making sure the project comes to fruition since the beginning.
With the MRI serving everyone in the southeast area, Wallewein says it's important that people have access to high-quality care.
"That's one of the things that we discussed, that there's definitely a need, and if someone in your family or close friend hasn't needed it up until now, guaranteed they will, and everyone has stories of having to travel to Regina or Saskatoon to get an MRI, and in some cases the travel's difficult depending on the need of the person at that time. For sure, there are lots of hit-home cases that touch everyone who works here and also our customer base."
Wallewein says he's hopeful that the community will finish up the fundraiser this summer, with an expected start date for MRIs of next summer.