Image Credit: Kamloops Hospice Society

By Adam Donnelly

KAMLOOPS HOSPICE ASSOCIATION

Third annual Stop, Drop and Donate hospice fundraiser set for Saturday at Cascades Casino

Jun 23, 2022 | 4:25 PM

KAMLOOPS — Each year, families from throughout the region experience the comfort of the Marjorie Willoughby Snowden Hospice Home, when they have a loved one in need of palliative care.

The pandemic has curtailed many regular fundraising activities that benefit the hospice. In response, a group of family, friends and co-workers have come together to hold the Stop, Drop and Donate fundraiser for the Kamloops Hospice Association.

“The first two years were awesome, raising just shy of $66,000,” Marilyn Giesbrecht, organizer of the Stop, Drop and Donate fundraiser says.

In the first two years that Giesbrecht has helped organize the fundraiser, they’ve helped fill a big gap that the COVID–19 pandemic created for the Kamloops Hospice Association.

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“We’re hoping to have a three-year cumulative total of over $100,000,” Giesbrecht explains. “We’re hoping that Kamloops comes out once again to support us.”

Marilyn knows first-hand the level of care and support the hospice house provides. Her husband Dave spent his last days at the facility back in 2011. For the first two years, the event has been held at the parking lot outside IG Wealth Management on Columbia Street. This year, they’ve decided to move things up to the Cascades Casino parking lot, to give themselves a bit more space.

“Bigger, better. We’re seeing every year, more traffic. I think this year, people are more out and about because of COVID,” Giesbrecht explains. “Cascades Casino has been so awesome to us, giving us support and advertising and the ability to run this event very much larger. It makes it much easier for everyone to come and donate.”

Along with raising money, the event is also collecting necessities — like cleaning supplies, food and other household items — that the hospice uses on a regular basis.

“It takes about $1,000 a week in groceries to support the house,” Erin Gardner, acting Executive Director of the Kamloops Hospice Association tells CFJC Today. “Any of those kinds of gift cards are greatly appreciated.”

In previous years, the event has raised funds to buy important equipment, like sit-to-stand chairs, that help patients get around. This year, organizers are hoping to refresh some of the spaces within the facility.

“Some of the money will be used to refresh a room,” Giesbrecht says. “The 12 rooms at the hospice are getting a little older and they need new paint and new furniture.”

Stop, Drop and Donate will take place on Saturday, June 25 from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. at Cascades Casino. You can stop by with a donation or click here to donate online.