Cariboo Memorial Hospital Foundation will once again receive the monies raised at the annual Tim Hortons Spring Cookie Smile Campaign.
This year the campaign runs from Monday, April 29 to Sunday, May 5.
Both locations in Williams Lake sell the cookies and members of the foundation go help ice the cookies at the Highway 97 location.
“They are super welcoming to us,” said foundation member Tammy Tugnum. “They get orders for 20 and 30 dozen cookies from businesses who hand them out to their customers.”
Last year Tim Hortons co-owner John Sharman presented the foundation with a cheque in the amount of $9,284.89 from the cookie campaign, which Tugnum said was “amazing.”
With Hough Memorial Society announcing it is closing down after 52 years of fundraising for cancer detecting equipment in Williams Lake, Tugnum said the foundation is ready to pick up the reins.
They will expand to include raising funds for any cancer detecting equipment items required at the hospital.
“We will expand our donations to include that, mostly things like scopes, ” Tugnum said. “Scopes only have a lifespan of about five years and a lot of cancer detection is done through scopes. We will absolutely step in and help wherever we can with the hospital and Interior Health.”
Tugnum said CMH has been extremely blessed with the Women’s Hospital Auxiliary, Hough Memorial and the foundation all dedicated to fundraising for hospital equipment.
With the auxiliary purchasing smaller items the hospital has on its equipment wish list and Hough focused on cancer equipment, the foundation has mostly sought after larger items.
“It’s not that we did not see cancer equipment as a need, but because Hough took care of it, we steered our energy toward larger pieces of equipment like CT scanners, an echocardiagram, digital mammography unit, the big ultrasound machine and replacing the portable ultrasounds in surgery.”
In the past three years the foundation purchased $500,000 worth of additional equipment required for surgical services.
Now that the hospital has expanded surgical services, such as knee surgery, other equipment was needed, she said.
“Our foundation has stepped up to help with that gap.”
Replacing the cover for the outdoor area at Deni House was another project the foundation helped fund for more than $157,000.
Over the years, the foundation has partnered with the Cariboo Chilcotin Regional Hospital District for projects as well.
“They will partner with any of our non-profit entities and provide 40 per cent toward projects for equipment for Cariboo Memorial Hospital. We are at over $4 million for equipment and that is in part through that funding partnership,” Tugnum said.
Main fundraising is done by the foundation through its annual gala and online auction in November, as well as cash donations received throughout the year.
Two years ago, for example, the foundation received donations of $20,000 and $25,000 in memory of a loved one.
“We have received a stock transfer to our foundation and we received several anonymous donations. Last year through the Raymond James Financial there was a cheque for $10,000 from an anonymous benefactor who chose to donate, no receipt required,” she explained.
In 2023, they received $98,148 in cash donations and by year end, with the gala and online auction, raised approximately $217,000 in total.
“We work hard at what we do,” Tugnum added. “We just do the one event a year and we have a lot of longtime benefactors who support us.”
This year’s Cariboo Memorial Foundation Gala will be held Saturday, Nov. 23. The theme will be Enchanted Forest, which they chose months ago.
“We have several new board members this year so we are excited,” Tugnum said.
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