Hospital radio-a-thon running Thursday
The Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation Care from the Heart Day Radio-a-thon is returning Thursday for the community to have the opportunity to help support the hospital.
Throughout the day, six local radio stations will be broadcasting live from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. to talk with frontline workers, administration, and patients to share their personal stories of the impact donations have made to the CRH Foundation.
“This is our 11th annual Care from the Heart Day Radio-athon, we give the community an opportunity to make donations to our hospital and obviously we have the support of the six radio station in Lethbridge which makes it quite unique,” says Jason VendenHoek, Executive Director of Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation. “The money that we are raising this year funds the greatest needs of the Chinook Regional Hospital, especially this year with COVID19, anything that can benefit our workers with any immediate needs, the funds can help with those. In addition, we have been in support of the Mental Health wing renovation which has been going on for some time, but we are still going with that.”
With all funds raised by the Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation staying directly in Lethbridge, it will be used in part to fund strategically identified equipment, programs and educational opportunities for the hospital, health care professionals, to help bring the best care close to home.
“Normally we would have all the radio stations at the hospital here broadcasting live all day, encouraging people to come down to the hospital to make a donation, but obviously we can’t do that this year, so the radio stations have adapted and are broadcasting from their stations and we are encouraging people to donate online or call in to make their donations,” says VandenHoek. “We don’t want to pass up an opportunity the impact the donations have on the hospital, and with COVID it is even more important, all the money raised here in Lethbridge will stay in Lethbridge.”
The goal for this year’s radio-athon is $250,000. Over the last decade the event has been able to raise over $2.3 million to help ensure a well-equipped hospital.
“The Balog family, just like yours, has benefited from the exceptional staff and expertise of the Chinook Regional Hospital,” says Bob Balog, honorary chair. “We, like so many of you, have been treated with great compassion and had wonderful care right here in Lethbridge. WE are so proud of how our hospital has responded to the ongoing pandemic situation and I am honoured to be asked to help ensure this level of service in our community will continue.”
Donations to the Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation can be made on February 11, by calling (403) 388-6001 or by visiting crhfoundation.ca. In person donations will not be permitted this year due to visitor restrictions at the Chinook Regional Hospital.