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Rossland Health Care Auxiliary contributes over $120,000 to KBRH Health Foundation

The Rossland Health Care Auxiliary contributed over $120,000 to the Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital Health Foundation this year.
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Rossland Health Care Auxiliary would like to thank members of the community organizations that gave them grants to fix their Thrift Shop building. Pictured is Kelvin Saldern from Columbia Basin Trust with a group of Thrift Shop volunteers

Despite the added expense of upgrading the Thrift Store building, the Rossland Health Care Auxiliary still contributed over $120,000 to the Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital (KBRH) Health Foundation this year.

In total, the auxiliary contributed $122,710 to the foundation $50,000 to the Elder Care campaign, and $72,710 to multiple departments at KBRH including emergency, surgical, respiratory, maternity, ICU and medical.

“The Rossland Auxiliary’s contribution is really important to the foundation. Not only do they fund our major capital campaigns, but they’re also funding needs across every department at KBRH and they’re funding priority needs across each department at KBRH,” said Lisa Pasin, director of development at KBRH Health Foundation.

Pasin added that the KBRH Elder Program campaign will wrap up in the spring and the foundation will relaunch a new campaign, “most likely with a start of April 1.” Those who would like to make a donation to the foundation can stop in at the foundation’s office in the lobby of the hospital, call 250-364-3424, or visit kbrhhealthfoundation.ca.

All the money contributed by the Rossland Health Care Auxiliary was raised through the Thrift Store in downtown Rossland.

“We have raised more than that, but we’ve had renovations this year,” explained Lindsey Premier, president of the auxiliary.

The extension at the back of the store, which has two rooms, was completed this year, and a deck was also added onto the back of the store for people to drop off donations. “Now we have two new rooms… one’s the storage, and one is the incoming donations and outgoing recycling and what not,” said Premier.

The Rossland Health Care Auxiliary would like to thank the community organizations that gave them grants toward the renovation: Columbia Basin Trust, TECK, Nelson & District Credit Union and Kootenay Boundary Regional District. The grants allowed the auxiliary to fund the renovation, while still providing substantial funding for health care in the region. The auxiliary would also like to thank Dave Braithwaite and his crew from Kokasaurus for doing a wonderful job.

Asked how a small thrift store in a small town can raise so much money in a year, Premier said, “Well, we own our own building so outgoings are really low, and I think because people know that the majority of our money goes to the hospital, they’re happy to give us their donations and they like to come and shop.”

Approximately 80 people belong to the auxiliary, but not all of them are active and Premier says the store can always use more volunteers. “On a sorting morning we can have any number from 12 to 25 people there sorting, and we always need clerks too,” she said.

Premier and the rest of the Rossland Health Care Auxiliary would like to thank everyone in the community for their support, wish them well for the holidays, and look forward to a wonderful new year.