Volunteers with the Bella Coola HealthCare Auxiliary are raising money to purchase a special wheelchair for the hospital.
Auxiliary president Paula Fralick said the wheelchair will have gel seating and will cost about $3,000.
There are two ways the group is fundraising.
One is to have a table at the upcoming Bella Coola Valley Arts Council Craft Fair on Nov. 25 and 26.
To help with that, the auxiliary is asking for donations such as socks, mitts, toques, scarves, baby clothes and baking.
A second fundraiser is to sell fruitcakes and shortbread through online orders.
They did it last year and it was very popular, Fralick said.
Member Pat Lenci said the auxiliary was formed in September of 1979 under the name of the Bella Coola Hospital Auxiliary.
This was in response to notification that the Valley would be receiving a new hospital. The building required new furnishings, up-to-date equipment, and many other articles necessary to make a patient’s stay comfortable. The auxiliary focused on raising funds to support these purchases.
In January 2018, the auxiliary changed its name to the Bella Coola HealthCare Auxiliary, as it is known today. This change reflects the broader scope of auxiliary support: to better support all health services provided in the valley, whether in the community or the hospital.
The goal of the auxiliary is to “enhance and personalize the care and comfort of hospital patients and support community care programs for the patients in the Bella Coola Valley; and to assist in filling the widening gap between available funding and necessary equipment purchases.”
“We currently have 10 members who contribute many hours a year toward achieving this goal. These efforts have allowed us to buy or contribute towards the purchase of new cushions for the outdoor garden furniture, a CAD infusion pump (for the delivery of intravenous medication to home-care patients), and the TNT Shuttle physio equipment, in this past year (2023),” Lenci said.
To date the auxiliary has raised $767 of the $3,000 necessary dollars towards wheelchair.
“Our auxiliary receives tremendous support from the community in its fundraising initiatives. This support will be very evident at the Auxiliary booth at the Bella Coola Christmas Craft Fair on November 25th at Lobelco Hall.”
Members also help maintain the hospital flower gardens in the spring and fall, she said.
“Our auxiliary is grateful to all of its volunteer members, but is always looking to welcome new people to our group. We meet at the Augsburg Church in Hagensborg, on the 2nd Thursday of each month at 1:30 p.m.”
Please call_Pat Lenci at 250-982-2265 for information.
With files from Pat Lenci
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