2024 was a good year for the Belleville General Hospital Foundation (BGHF) but there’s still room for growth in the organization’s fundraising efforts.
Tuesday, Quinte Health’s board of directors learned that over $3.6 million was raised last year. The monies raised, less expenses, go toward the purchase of priority medical equipment for BGH.
Third-party fundraising led the way for the foundation at over $700,000, with the Car4Cancer lottery making up $528,000 of that total.
Direct mail worked well, raising $614,000. That campaign received a boost from the Maurice and Marilyn Rollins Foundation which matched donations up to $100,000.
BGHF Executive Director Steve Cook said the $360,000 raised by the Masquerade Gala was a little disappointing but added that new ideas for the gala are being considered and the group is optimistic that that can be improved.
Cook says they’re working toward a goal of bringing in $5 million annually.
Meanwhile, foundation board member and host of CJBQ’s Lorne Brooker Show, Lorne Brooker told the board that Quinte Health was not just a hospital organization but a cornerstone of the community and that the foundation, in partnership with Quinte Health, was on a mission to improve medical care and facilities.
On another note, Brooker said that the annual Blowes and Stewart/CJBQ cruises for BGHF have raised $800,000 for the foundation since they began in 2008.
Two such cruises will be held this year.