Recent donations have helped to propel the MRI project to the 90 per cent completion mark, with St. Joseph's Hospital working towards their goal of $6.5 million. Donations have taken the form of organizational gifts, businesses giving money, and events like our recent Radiothon For Life.
Tuesday wasn't any special day for St. Joseph's Hospital, but it was made one thanks to a few donors in the community, says St. Joseph's Hospital Foundation Executive Director Lori Gervais.
"We had Estevan Motors reach out and give us a $50,000 donation, so that kind of started the ball rolling Tuesday morning. Then Western Fiberglass came in and brought in another $50,000, and I had a phone call that day from a lovely Weyburn woman who gave us $5,000. Then later in the afternoon, Larry Preddy, who is a huge hospital supporter and has been in health care for many years, walked in and said he had a little donation for me, and when I opened the envelope, it was $75,000."
With $180,000 being donated in a single day, Gervais says they've made great progress, with the total going up to $5,836,000, and $663,000 to go.
Tuesday also had a bit of progress on the MRI wing itself as the hospital received some more visitors.
"Actually, on Tuesday was the day the project manager and the architect were here doing some work themselves, so I got to walk in and tell them specifically that the money was still coming in. They've done the soil testing. The pod or the module itself is being built as we speak in Quebec, and we'll be getting trucked here either in the fall or in the spring, possibly, depending on the weather."
"But we're going to see some work happening here soon with local tradesmen that are going to be out there pouring the cement pad, and then we'll be doing all the tie-ins and getting everything ready inside the building to connect the two. So there's lots going on."
Gervais says that all the support they've received is huge, and she's confident that with some more help, the southeast community can get the project funded.
"I think that's helping the community see that this project is really happening, and that's kind of why we've had such support, extraordinary support, and I really want people, the Southeast Saskatchewan community, to know that we want to keep this going. We want to push the campaign all the way to the finish line, and we're getting there."
In order to get the fundraising finished, there are a number of events planned out for the summer, including a golf tournament planned for July 19th and a charity BBQ coming this Wednesday, which you can find out more about here.