The Stevenson Memorial Hospital Foundation’s inaugural Gala in support of the It’s Crystal Clear Campaign for Digital Mammography proved to be a spectacular success raising $210,000 towards the goal of bringing state of the art Mammography equipment to Stevenson Memorial Hospital.
Held at the Nottawasaga Inn in Alliston on May 6, over 300 guests attended the event which featured an evening of dining, entertainment and fundraising. It included entertainment by Tony nominee Louise Pitre and songwriter and singer Joe Matheson, followed by a live auction.” We wanted this to be a unique, elegant event that raised funds and paid tribute to the donors and sponsors,” said Sylvia Biffis, Co-chair of the Digital Mammography Cabinet and Gala Committee. Gala Honorary Chair Dr. Catherine Mahut spoke of the life saving benefits of early detection of breast cancer.
The It’s Crystal Clear Campaign is the Foundation’s initiative to bring Digital Mammography to Stevenson Memorial Hospital. With a goal of $1.3 million needed to make the initiative a reality, the Campaign raised over 70 per cent of the funds prior to the Gala evening through the efforts of the Digital Mammography Cabinet members, volunteers and donors.
The night of the Gala brought the total raised for Digital Mammography to over one million dollars so far. “We really wanted to cross the million dollar mark tonight and our donors and supporters took us there” said Tom Tworzyanski, Foundation Fundraising Chair.
Digital Mammography is the standard in early detection of breast cancer and contributes significantly to survival rates. The purchasing and engineering process has started for the new Digital Mammography equipment. Renovations and installation will be completed later this year.
When all the funds are finally raised, the pink flag that is currently flying at the front of the hospital will be lowered to signify the successful conclusion of the Campaign.
The Campaign Cabinet chose pink as the colour to represent the campaign and signify the focus for the fundraising accomplishments.
Digital Mammography Cabinet Co-chairs, Marilyn Holmstrom and Sylvia Biffis, Cabinet members Marg Barber, Audrey Gibson, Linda Needles, Pat Thompson, Robyn Murphy, Caroline Maxwell and Tom Tworzyanski are volunteers who, along with Foundation staff Tanya Godson and Kaley Stewart, have tirelessly worked and served on the Campaign Cabinet over the past year. They were supported by senior hospital staff Angela Trevivian and Gary Ryan.
As a health care facility, Stevenson Memorial Hospital always has a need to replace or upgrade equipment and stay current with new technology. The Hospital Foundation continues its efforts to bring new and enhanced services to the hospital to ensure exceptional health care close to home.
For more information about the Campaign please call the Foundation office at 705-435-6281 extension 1263.