It’s starting to feel a lot like Christmas, and folks can credit Stettler Health Services Foundation’s Festival of Lights for helping get people into the holiday spirit.
The 16th annual fundraiser ran last week with events to appeal to almost everyone, from scrumptious desserts at a sellout dessert night to an autographed photo of Johnny Depp, which sold for $1,000.
Many hard-working volunteers pulled together to make the week a success.
“Everybody is tired after the week but they are tired in a good way,” said Sue Peterson, chair of the foundation.
“They all worked hard and are very pleased with the support from the community and very proud of the community for coming out and supporting a good cause.”
Organizers are still tallying up how much was raised and how many people attended the weeklong fun.
“We have no idea yet,” said Peterson. “Not everyone has paid for their items yet and bills haven’t been paid. It will be at least another week or so before we know.
“The events were well attended, everybody enjoyed themselves. We had good positive feedback from each event.”
The Christmas Spirit evening held Wednesday, which featured sample drinks and hors d’oeuvres, and music, was a hit with people already asking to buy tickets for next year.
“People just loved it.”
Peterson said plans are already in the works for the 17th annual Festival of Lights.
“We are excited for next year, as we always try to tweak the events so that we can appeal to everybody, which is difficult to do. We listen to suggestions and come up with suggestions of our own. “
The Festival of Lights, as well as a charity golf tournament and marathon this summer, are aimed at raising $300,000 to $500,000 for the hospital’s operating room, emergency room, and labour and birthing rooms.
“The idea being that we can keep people in our community for the health care that they need,” Peterson said. “It’s just better for our community. It’s going to be a very expensive project, so it will take more than one year by the hospital foundation to reach our goal.”
Anyone wishing to donate to the hospital foundation can do so at www.stettlerhealthfoundation.com, by calling 403-742-7400, by emailing info@stettlerhealthfoundation.com or by regular mail to Bag 500, Stettler, AB, T0C 2L0.