Dave Depencier and Dan Van Moorsel began their 1,000km journey in support of the Foundation of the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance early Wednesday morning.
The bike ride to Toronto and back started at the Sydenham Campus of the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance in Wallaceburg.
“We’re excited, it has been a long haul planning and raising money and we’re going to continue to do that over the next few days,” Depencier told the crown gathered in the front parking lot of the hospital.
“We’ll hopefully get to that mark where we’ve finished off this campaign and we can all say as a community that we did this together. I think that’s the most important thing that we all have to remember that it is truly about the community. From $6.9-million dollars to where we’re at today, I think that’s an incredible task that we have done as a community so far and we’re so close. If we can just pull together to finish this off, I will be super excited.”
“I just want to get on my bike and ride,” added Van Moorsel.
“I’ll give you one lesson in life… be careful what you say yes to for a friend.”
The Foundation had announced on Monday they were just $250,000 shy of their $6.8-million goal.
Mary Lou Crowley, executive director for the Foundation, said on Wednesday morning they would not be where they are today without the great community support.
“We can do it, we are doing it,” Crowley said about the remaining dollars to raise.
“It’s not too late, for those of you who have not made a donation to the campaign, please consider doing so. You can go to our Foundation website or you can call the Foundation officer and we’d be happy to take your donation over the phone.”
Lori Marshall, president and CEO of the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance, said there is an equipment need at the Chatham and Wallaceburg’s sites.
“In addition to the fact that older equipment needs to be replaced, we also need to make sure that we have enough equipment and the right equipment,” Marshall said.
“It’s exciting, the hospital’s new vision statement now is ‘together, growing a healthier community.’ I think today’s event with this ride really represents the partnership wit the Foundation and that we’re all in this ride together.”
Depencier and Van Moorsel’s route began in Wallaceburg and headed to Dresden this morning, with stops planned in Glencoe, St. Mary’s and Stratford.
Best of luck and safe travels! Thanks for pedalling by @DresdenAreaCS. S’s and S supporting #thefinalpush today. Pedalling for health care https://t.co/IgIBhOKtHc via @chathamvoice @CKPublicHealth pic.twitter.com/eraE4SQMgx
— Dresden Area Central (@DresdenAreaCS) 23 May 2018
Depencier and Van Moorsel will be cycling an average of 200km a day across Southwestern Ontario before returning to Chatham-Kent on Monday, May 28.
The fundraising campaign concludes on May 28. Individuals are encouraged to pledge Dave and Dan by donating online or through corporate sponsorship by contacting Depencier directly.
The Final Push target fundraising goal is $100,000, and currently sits at around $80,000 raised.
More details are available at www.thefinalpush.ca.
Launched in 2014, the Future in Focus fundraising campaign supports the purchase of 17 new pieces of equipment for the CKHA.
15 pieces have already been installed, with a large portion of the remaining funds being raised to purchase one of the most important pieces equipment for any hospital: a new CT scan machine.
Diagnostic imaging equipment can help diagnose cancer, heart disease, strokes, broken bones and countless other ailments. Advanced equipment can also help to attract more physicians to the community as they seek out health care environments where the latest innovations and technologies are in use.
Governments do not fund capital equipment expenditures such as new diagnostic imaging equipment for hospitals. It is the mandate of hospital foundations to raise money from organizations, individuals and businesses to purchase these necessary items for the community.
More details are available, here: http://www.foundationckha.com/
Here are some photos from Wednesday’s event in Wallaceburg:
– Photo credit: Aaron Hall
