Supplied by the Sault Area Hospital Foundation…

SAULT STE. MARIE, ON  – On November 9th, 2019, hundreds of guests in their finest formal wear gathered at Quattro Hotel and Conference Centre to support our community’s hospital at Sault Area Hospital Foundation’s bi-annual Gala event. The Gala was an evening of fun and festivity that accomplished an important goal: raising significant funds for Sault Area Hospital Foundation.

“The energy in the room was inspiring. To gather so many of our donors, physicians and partners in the community in the same room is such a rare and wonderful opportunity,” said Teresa Martone, Executive Director of Sault Area Hospital Foundation. “The gala is one of many ways people support our community’s hospital. No matter how people give – they are helping us replace aging equipment, expand services and take advantage of new and innovative technology. We all benefit when our community chooses to support our hospital.”

Sault Area Hospital Foundation would like to gratefully acknowledge the support of the many local businesses that sponsored this event, including: Acclaim Ability Management and Maximus Rose Living Benefits; Compass Imaging; Ellis Don; Fengate; IDA (Station Mall, Market Mall, Wellington Square and Ideal locations); IDEA – Integrated Design Engineering and Architecture; Laidlaw, Paciocco, Dumanski, Spadafora and Johnson; Norpro Security; Purvis Marine Limited; Quattro Hotel and Conference Centres; Anthony Pucci with RBC Wealth Management; TD Bank Group; Sault Ste. Marie Airport Development Corporation; and Sootoday.com. This is not to mention the dozens of individuals and businesses that purchased tickets, provided auction items, and made other donations to this event.

The Gala was an incredible success on several fronts: with the dollars raised for local care that night, and a commitment for ongoing support announced.

“Friends of Sault Area Hospital” are building a group of individuals who will provide ongoing support to Sault Area Hospital Foundation. The group’s initial goal is to secure $1 million in recurring annual support. After the event on Saturday, the group is almost a quarter of the way to their goal with 10 local professionals committed – from physicians, to entrepreneurs, to leaders in the community.

One of the initial members, Joe Ruscio, made the announcement at the Gala event. “When you hear that Sault Area Hospital Foundation needs $50 million for equipment over the next 10 years, it seems daunting – no one can do that alone,” said Joe. “That’s when I started having conversations with the people around me and realized; this was something we could do together.”

“It’s not just about us,” said John Febbraro – another of the initial members. “It’s about all our families and all our friends. This is where the people we love receive dedicated medical care and we need to ensure we are putting the tools in the healthcare professional’s toolboxes in order to receive the best care possible.”

The shared goal of this group and Sault Area Hospital Foundation is to ensure caregivers have the equipment they need to provide the best care possible, close to home. On behalf of the Sault Area Hospital Foundation Board of Directors, Executive Director and Staff, we would like to thank the many friends of Sault Area Hospital Foundation – both this new group, and those who have been supporting for many years: your contributions make outstanding care possible at Sault Area Hospital.