Yarmouth Hospital Foundation finds colourful way to raise funds for hospital equipment

Under a sunny sky, clouds of colour rained down on participants of a fundraiser that will benefit patients at the Yarmouth Regional Hospital.

People cheered, laughed, and smiled as pink, orange, yellow, purple, blue, and green colour pouches transformed the fundraiser participants into a kaleidoscope of colours.

“We’re about the fun in fundraising. It’s really nice to make sure we have fun,” said Mary Surette, managing director of the Yarmouth Hospital Foundation. “It’s nice to see everyone come out.”

What they came out for was the Sou’West Colour Walk, held at Gateway Park in Yarmouth on Oct. 18.

The hospital foundation fundraiser was being used to raise funds for ambulatory care at Yarmouth Regional Hospital – specifically for the purchase of two infusion chairs and three vital sign monitors.

“With the infusion chairs, it’s a more comfortable experience for the patients. Sometimes they go in for infusions for anywhere from 20 minutes up to six or eight hours,” Surette explained. “These chairs are more comfortable, and they can be released in case there are any changes in their vital signs. These chairs can be altered quickly, and there’s a quicker response from the staff.”

The Yarmouth Regional Hospital provides care to the residents of Yarmouth, Shelburne and Digby counties.

Throughout each year, the Yarmouth Hospital Foundation holds a variety of fundraisers for the purchase of hospital equipment. It holds a hospital gala, a radiothon, it accepts in memoriam donations, it holds raffles, and much more.

According to the foundation’s website, over the years equipment purchases have included a CT scanner, portable X-Ray and ultrasound units, infant ventilators and incubators, laparoscopic suites, lab equipment, renal dialysis equipment, ceiling lifts and more. As well, there have been upgrades to the cardiology, cancer and wellness centres.

And the foundation doesn’t just give back to the community through hospital equipment purchases; it also presents grants to community groups for health and wellness initiatives, and it gives out nursing student scholarships.

During the colour walk, Surette said the foundation has been focusing on fundraising ideas during the year that allow people to get out, enjoy the fresh air and get in a bit of exercise. The foundation held a walk-a-thon before, and was aware of a colour walk that had taken place in another part of the province and decided to bring one to southwestern Nova Scotia.

“We’ve had a lot of volunteers that help us with this, including students from the Dalhousie School of Nursing (Yarmouth site) … they’re very enthusiastic,” Surette said.

The foundation also looks for opportunities to get families involved in fundraising efforts.

“Families need hospitals, so that’s what this is all about, enjoying it as a family,” said Surette.

“We’re trying to be inclusive of everyone (in our fundraising), and that’s one of the reasons we thought we’d do this.”

This colour walk fundraiser came on the heels of a recent raffle fundraiser that raised $4,470 towards a new dizziness and balance diagnostic system, which is considered a crucial unit for patients suffering from vertigo and inner ear issues.

Fundraising for the ambulatory care unit fundraiser has seen much success. Money has been raised through the colour walk registrations, along with sponsorships and donations. There was also colourful merchandise for sale on the day of the colour walk. As well, a raffle that ends on Nov. 8 has been another part of this fundraiser. At the time this story was written on Oct. 21, there had been $14,325 raised for the ambulatory care unit fundraiser.

The foundation, meanwhile, was very pleased with the colour walk’s turnout and support.

The event had been pushed back one day from its original Oct. 17 date, since on that day the forecast called for rain.

After all, it would have spoiled the fun to have had all of the colour washed away.