Image Credit: CFJC Today/IG Wealth Management Giesbrecht & Associates

By Adam Donnelly

FUNDRAISER FOR HOSPICE

Stop, Drop, and Donate fundraiser for Kamloops Hospice Association set for Saturday

Jul 9, 2020 | 4:05 PM

KAMLOOPS — The coronavirus pandemic has put a financial strain on many individuals and organizations throughout the local community.

The Kamloops Hospice Society is one such organization. It has had to cancel a number of fundraising events already this year, resulting in the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars in operating money.

However, this weekend a group of financial planners have organized a unique event to help raise money and provide useful items, which will help the Hospice weather the storm.

Columbia Street between RIH and Superstore is one of the busiest stretches of road in the city. Saturday (July 11) a group from IG Wealth Management is hoping to divert some of that traffic into its parking lot.

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“We’re having the ‘Stop, Drop, and Donate for Hospice,” organizer Marilyn Giesbrecht explains. “So what we’re trying to do is raise some funds and some goods for Hospice, to just try to help restock the shelves and help with their operating budget.”

Giesbrecht and fellow IG Consultant Kelsey Boudreau have spent the past few weeks organizing the fundraiser, which will take place in the parking lot at 741 Sahali Terrace. They wanted to make donating simple while ensuring COVID-19 safety measures are met.

“We wanted to make this as easy as possible to get to the location and drop off a donation in a socially distant safe manner,” Boudreau tells CFJC Today.

Vehicles will enter the lot, then be directed to either end, where volunteers will accept donations. According to the Operations Manager for the Kamloops Hospice Association, the facility has taken a huge hit during the pandemic.

“Financially, it’s been a huge hit for us,” Jenny Quince says. “We’ve had to cancel our gala, which is a huge fundraiser. We’ve had to close our thrift store, which is also a huge fundraiser. There was going to be charity golf tournaments to help us, but they’ve all been cancelled.”

The hospice laid off some administration staff during the pandemic, just to ensure they’re able to keep up the level of patient care at the facility. Jenny Quince says this event will help the Hospice with simple things that ensure the comfort of the patients and their families.

“We still have to buy food, and medical supplies,” Quince says. “For people who want to give, this is a very small way but it means a lot to us.”

Giesbrecht knows all too well how important the Marjorie Willoughby Snowden Hospice Home is for families with a terminally ill patient. Her husband Dave spent his last days there in 2011, after battling brain cancer.

“We want to make sure the level of care people get, the level of programs people can get are sustained,” Giesbrecht says. “Right now, it’s somewhat being impacted. I would like to see that not happen, so we decided to do this.”

The event runs from 10 am until 2 pm Saturday. Whatever you’re able to give will be greatly appreciated.