The Elks Club of Sexsmith has donated $40,000 to the Grande Prairie Regional Hospital Foundation to go towards the new youth mental health lodge at the Grande Prairie Regional Hospital. Major Gifts Officer with the foundation Dawn Miller says the Elks club was one of the first groups who showed interested when they launched the Key to Care Campaign, and have come through in a big way.
“They immediately, when we first started the capital campaign, identified youth mental health, which is a new wing for the youth of the region to be able to get some help, and they realized they wanted to put their money there to see if they could somehow make the stay at the hospital a little better,” she says.
“We got talking and they wanted to be able to provide maybe bean bag chairs or something that would provide some comfort for the kids.. any sort of sensory items that will help the kids while they stay at the hospital.”
Miller says the generosity of residents throughout the County of Grande Prairie and beyond has been immense and believes it truly is communities across the region coming together to provide a better health care future not only for themselves but for generations to come.
“These communities that are contributing understand they wouldn’t get those services but they want them closer to home, so by having them here at our hospital that enables them not to have to go to Edmonton or even further for treatment or care.”
In all, the Key to Care Campaign is hoping to raise $20 million for enhancements at the new Grande Prairie Regional Hospital.