COLD LAKE - Hearts for Healthcare is requesting support from the City of Cold Lake as it gets ready for another year of fundraising.
On March 12, Jennifer Cory Lee, president for Hearts for Healthcare, along with executive director Kari Leipe, presented a funding request to City council for the organization's upcoming fundraising events.
“We're here to put in a request to council for Hearts for Healthcare's fundraising events for the year,” said Lee. “We are addressing both, our Mega Bounce Run, and our gala, which is our biggest fundraising event of the year, and that is on May 4."
The organization requested a total of $40,000 for the year, with $5,000 allocated for the fund run, also known as the Mega Bounce Run. Lee mentioned that they had already secured sponsorships from various industries to support the event. She highlighted the success of the previous year's fund run, which received positive feedback and suggestions for expansion, making it a highlight of the City's summer events.
Lee emphasized the significance of the gala, stating, "Our gala... is our major fundraising event for the year.” She noted that last year was their most successful year for fundraising, with over $200,000 worth of equipment requests from the community, including requests from external community members such as the Cold Lake First Nations and the Elizabeth Métis Settlement.
According to the March 12 agenda package, Hearts for Healthcare's main initiatives include purchasing medical equipment, helping with facility upgrades, supporting healthcare professionals and the public through awareness and advocacy, and medical professional recruitment and retention.
"We have some requests for women's health, for our Indigenous communities that are surrounding us, and also we have requests for long-term care to support our vulnerable residents in those facilities," explained Lee. "We also have the request to support our recruitment efforts for physicians."
Lee provided insight into the organization’s successful physician recruitment efforts, stating, "Last year we were quite successful with five physicians coming into the community. We have another one for sure that is coming into the community and we're hoping to have more."
Council did not make a decision on the financial request, but has committed to revisiting the matter at an upcoming meeting.
