By Cecilia Nasmith/Today’s Northumberland
Northumberland Hills Hospital has always been blessed with a supportive community, and that was broken into some impressive numbers at the December hospital board meeting.
President Rick Riley led with the Auxiliary news, with a report that sales at their thrift shop Petticoat Lane are up 21% over last year as of the end of November. All proceeds from this retail operation at 25 Munroe St. in Cobourg, as well as from the in-hospital Little Treasure Shoppe, are for the benefit of the hospital.
In a typical day, Riley said, Petticoat Lane brings in about $1,000. At their 57th-birthday sale last month, they almost doubled that by bringing in $1,933.
The Auxiliary feels confident about reaching its $250,000 fundraising goal for this year, and hopes to present a $100,000 donation to the hospital by March.
Foundation chair Carrie Low won applause when reporting that their 25th-anniversary gala had raised a record $320,000. The digital photo album for the event is now available on the website – which was refreshed last month, along with a rebranding for the foundation.
Low added that their Light Up A Life annual Christmas campaign is well under way, with a $250,000 goal to purchase two ventilators for the ICU. Though it was only launched in mid-November, they are 62% of the way to that goal with $157,000 raised.
