Chocolate Mustache Fundraiser donation for BTHC Cancer Care bigger than expected

Written by Robyn Wiebe Saturday, Dec 24 2022, 5:00 AM

Last year, when Carman Collegiate teacher, Jacquie Metcalf was diagnosed with cancer, Principal Mary Reimer wanted to give the staff and students an opportunity to show support for her. She made chocolate mustaches to sell in the cafeteria for a couple of weeks in November, for Movember. They raised $1,500 for Cancer Care Manitoba.

This summer, Reimer was diagnosed with breast cancer, but that didn’t stop her from making more chocolates than last year, raising considerably more than to present to the Boundary Trails Health Centre (BTHC) Foundation.

“I think I probably made close to 10,000 mustaches. It was a busy month of November. As a result of the efforts of me making them, and Carman Collegiate, we’re able to make a sizable donation to Boundary Trails. I originally thought the donation was going to be $7,825, however, as a result of a few more last-minute donations coming in, I’m thrilled, on behalf of Carman Collegiate, to present Boundary Trails with $8,300.”

She noted they received support beyond the cafeteria, through the connection with Carman Cougar Hockey team, support came in from other communities in the Pembina Valley.

“Because our hockey team kind of got on board with us, hockey teams around us got on board as well. I’m so happy the Altona Aces are joining me, and the Portage hockey team as well. I know Altona, for example, bought 150 mustaches. I think it’s become a little bit of a symbol in the area of communities coming together to do what they can to fight this disease that affects everyone.”

BTHC Foundation Executive Director Shannon Sammatte-Folkett shared her reaction to the news.

“Wow! That’s the first I’m learning and I’m speechless. From chocolate mustaches, that’s amazing. What a community. What a way to rally around and support you guys,” she said to Reimer when receiving the cheque for $8,300.

She went on to share how it will be used.

“This will go to Boundary Trails Cancer Care department. I think they’ll be very touched by this. I’m sure you’ve already shared a lot with them up there. I can’t wait to work with the team to find out what kind of needs we need to meet upstairs.”

Reimer went on to share her own experience in with BTHC Cancer Care, and why Carman Collegiate chose to give the money to the local hospital.

“As strange as it sounds, I look forward to the days I get to come to the cancer ward, for a place that could be very somber. There have been days I’ve gone in just a puddle, and just crying, and just very distraught, and Dr. Woelk, and Dr. Martin, and the nurses, they’re phenomenal, and they have a natural way of making sure your cup is a little fuller when you leave than when you came in. So, it’s the very least we can do.”

Sammatte-Folkett thanked Reimer for choosing to give to the local hospital, and for the extra special gift to help people in their cancer journey. She wished Reimer all the best in her own journey.

BTHC Foundation 50/50 nearing $60K

“BTHC Foundation 50/50 nearing $60K”

Written by Ronny Guenther Wednesday, Dec 21 2022, 10:32 AM

Executive Director for the Boundary Trails Health Centre Foundation, Shannon Samatte-Folkett, joined The Morning Show to talk about their 50/50 fundraiser going on now.

In previous years, lockdowns kept the foundation from hosting its annual fundraisers, thus giving birth to the 50/50. It continues now by popular demand.

Learn more and buy tickets here.

Morden Thrift Store gives $40,000 for new diagnostics equipment

Written by Candace Derksen & Robyn Wiebe Saturday, Nov 12 2022, 5:00 AM

$200,000 has been invested back into the community thanks to the Morden Community Thrift Shop’s annual fall giving campaign.

$20,000 had already been granted to the Morden Legion back in August for emergency repairs to Legion House 1, but the remaining $180,000 was given out to various organizations on Monday.

“It’s our community that keeps us going. It’s the community that supplies us with everything that we sell. Putting it back in the community, it’s for the better of everybody. We all benefit from what we put back in,” said Kent Noel, President of the Morden Community Thrift Shop board of directors. “Whether it’s health, mental health (or) protection, it benefits everyone in our community.”

Noel added, and it is the community that keeps the thrift shop going by donating the items that are sold there. All of the grant money doled out on Monday was generated through sales at the shop – items like 25-cent cups and $2 jeans.

“It’s amazing how it adds up…we save a lot of pennies,” he said.

He credited the thrift shop’s group of volunteers for their dedication.

“We are like a family here and we treat our community like family as well. When you’re dealing with family, it’s pretty easy to make decisions.”

The full list of the fall grant recipients includes:

500 Stephen – $5,000.00 for new carpet tile

Boundary Trails Health Centre Foundation – $40,000 for a mini-C arm that gives lower radiation than regular x-rays and OR/Diagnostics equipment

Many Hands Resource Center – $8,000 for food supplies and vouchers

Menzies Medical Centre – $30,000 for medical equipment

Morden Community Handivan – $10,000 to help with purchasing a new van

Morden Fire & Rescue – $10,000 to help with the expansion to the Fire Hall

Morden Police Service – $14,000 for upgrading their training equipment

Pembina Counselling Center – $10,000 for program/counselling assistance

Pembina Valley Humane Society – $5,000 to go towards the purchase of a new van

Pembina Valley Pregnancy Care – $3,000 for support services

STARS Ambulance Service – $40,000

Youth for Christ – $5000 for programming, the support staff and counseling

BTHC 50/50 is LIVE and GROWING!

As of DECEMBER 21st the jackpot sits at over $65,000!

TO BUY YOUR TICKETS GO TO WWW.BTHCF5050.CA

October 28th – 1st Early Bird Draw for $1,000 CASH –
WINNER: KEN HILDEBRAND (0669194)

November 23rd – 2nd Early Bird Draw for $1,000 CASH –
WINNER: CINDY HUNTER (0705152)

December 21st – 3rd Early Bird Draw for $1,000 CASH –
WINNER: JESSICA GIONET (0716734)

Your last chance to win is December 31st!

“The future is now,” as sold-out crowd celebrates ground-breaking at annual BTHC Foundation gala

Written by Chris Sumner Monday, Oct 31 2022, 4:03 AM

Friday night Morden’s Access Event Centre hosted the return of the Boundary Trails Health Centre (BTHC) Foundation “Building for the Future” fundraising gala, or as mentioned from the stage several times during the evening, perhaps it should now be called the “Future is Now” gala.

Just over a week ago site work began on the long in development expansion of BTHC, and that had a positive hum running through the room all night.

Foundation Chair Ben Friesen noted, since that event, it has been nothing but positive encouragement shared with the board.

“Everybody says ‘way to go’, and not that we take all the credit for (it), but everybody involved in this,” said Friesen Friday evening. “It’s been a long procedure. There’s many people that have done a lot of work to get it to this point, and you meet people, and they talk about it and that’s great. We want to make sure we get it out to the public even more in the next couple of weeks, in the next couple months, and then when the equipment moves in there, and they start digging here in another week or so, that should just add more excitement to it.”

The BTHC Foundation has set a fundraising goal of $10 million for the project, with $1 million of that already raised through a donation from the Morden Community Thrift Store. Meanwhile, a $750,000 donation by Colleen and her late husband Bill Lyne will support the construction of a cardiography suite at the hospital.

“We have set a $10 million goal, the government didn’t demand this from us,” explained Friesen. “We, in partnership with them, have had many long discussions and meetings, and the board came up with a number of $10 million of new money that we want to raise for this project. We have some other money that’s already in place, and there will be a lot of other equipment needs, we know, but our support from the Foundation is $10 million of new money, community raised.”

Friesen described the figure as a “daunting” one, but has no doubt the communities that rely on the services of BTHC will come together to help the Foundation raise that total.

“The board is representatives of all the different municipalities and towns and cities, and we just all feel that this community is willing to do that,” he noted. “We really feel the support is there, and we know we have to do our work, but the board has just bought into it.”

Friesen also reflected on what it means to finally be at this point of a journey more than a decade in the making.

“I happened to have been on this board ten years ago when we did work on this, and then things got really slowed down, and then things started picking up again,” he said. “We’re just really excited it’s finally happening, we know what’s happening, and that’s why I have to give credit to Jane Curtis (Southern Health-Sante Sud C.E.O.) and Cameron Friesen (Morden-Winkler M.L.A). They did a lot of pushing to make sure we got this groundbreaking done before the gala event tonight. They felt it was very crucial for us, and of course we felt it was very crucial, and we’re just we’re just really happy to finally see it.”

Friesen stressed, the Foundation board is by no means relaxing after all the good news of late, and will be working very hard on meeting that $10 million fundraising goal.

CFAM Radio 950 Morning Show Co-Host Chris Sumner MC’d Friday’s gala, and you can listen to his conversation with Ben Friesen HERE.