ANTIGONISH, N.S. - It’s the 25th anniversary of 989 XFM Hospital Help Day Raffle and with the special milestone, here are 25 reasons the day deserves support:
- Financial support for St. Martha’s Regional Hospital
- Acquiring new and improved equipment for the hospital
- That equipment; the ‘IOL Master 700 with Barrett Suite and True K’ - the latest generation of equipment to measure the eye in preparation for cataract surgery
- Recognizing the continued support from local radio station 989 XFM for 25 years
- Community engagement throughout the day
- Acknowledging the support from the local business community
- The coming together of volunteers to support a worthy cause
- Promoting St. Martha’s Regional Hospital Foundation and it’s work
- Providing the community with the chance to win wonderful prize packages
- Package #1 - $4,000 in cash
- Package #2 - $1,000 in cash
- Package #3 – the Winter Package
- Package #4 – a Vegas package for two
- Package #5 – the Shop Local package (an assortment of gift cards)
- Promoting healthcare in local communities
- Engaging with healthcare professionals
- Showcasing St. Martha’s Regional Hospital and the services it provides
- Providing a fun filled event in the community
- You’ll probably need to go to Antigonish Market Square sometime during the day anyway
- 989 XFM will be live from the location during the day
- The humble beginnings of the raffle evolving into Hospital Help Day
- Friendly voices on the phones which can be used to purchase tickets starting at Tuesday (Oct. 23) from 4 to 9 p.m. and continue on Hospital Help Day the following day (Wednesday, Oct. 25) from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- An easy to remember phone number - 902-867-6000, and an 1-855 one (1-855-867-6004)
- The smiles you’ll see all day at the location
- The Antigonish Lion’s Club
“It’s really all about the people who volunteer their time, the businesses which provide the prizes and the people who call in and purchase tickets,” 989 XFM general manager Ken Farrell said.
Farrell added, about the humble beginnings, “shortly after the new hospital was built (1993), and all the money was raised for the hospital, there was a downturn in the economy and, all of a sudden, the feds and provincial government started pulling back on funding for institutions like St. Martha’s,” he said.
“So that was when CJFX (now 989 XFM) stepped up with a celebrity raffle to try and raise some money for equipment and supplies the hospital would need which were being affected by the funding cuts. It, eventually, just took on a life of its own.”
RELATED STORY:
Sobey Foundation donates $1 million to SMRHF’s The Time is Now campaign
Foundation executive director Sadie Benoit noted this is the foundation’s largest yearly fundraiser.
“There is a lot of work that goes into it behind the scenes, it’s not just that day; there is a lot of preparation,” Benoit said. “And we could not do it without the volunteers. Depending on their schedules, we could have around 50 people there that day … the [Antigonish] Lions usually send around 20 people.”
For more on the event and foundation, visit smrhfoundation.com.
