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Brockville General Hospital |
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News Release |
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NEWS
RELEASE Six-year-old’s donation brings hospital foundation appeal to 66% BROCKVILLE – A six-year-old donor has brought in his little yellow bucket of collected coins for the Brockville and District Hospital Foundation’s annual appeal, proving that every penny helps toward reaching the $135,000 needed to buy a new eye surgery microscope for Brockville General Hospital.. Bryson Bangma, 6, donated $13.69 in change he had collected from his parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles and directed his donation toward the annual appeal, bringing the total to $89,140.63 or 66 per cent of the goal. This was Bryson’s third donation this year. His earlier donations – the first one was 29 cents and the second one, $15 – were directed to BGH’s Maternal/Child Unit. The amounts include $5 of his own money that he said he received from the tooth fairy. Bryson has two great-grandmothers who have benefitted from cataracts surgery, said his parents, Carla and Dan Bangma. His grandmother Kathy Harper is an operating room nurse at BGH. Bryson is a Grade 1 student at Front of Yonge Public School in Mallorytown. What spurred his decision to start raising money for the hospital? “I woke up one morning and I wanted to collect money with my bucket so I could buy a toy,” little Bryson recalled. “I realized that it’s more important to take care of people rather than buy a toy.” Hospital foundation Executive Director Joan McLaughlin was impressed with the young donor’s zeal for fundraising and his well-mannered approach. “He’s extremely focussed on raising money for the hospital. It’s unusual to see that at such an early age,” she commented. “He even gave up his tooth-fairy money.” Ms. McLaughlin said the community’s response to the appeal has been heart-warming and she is hopeful that the goal can be reached before Christmas. The campaign is slated to end Dec. 15 but will be extended if necessary to reach the goal. She noted that BGH staff members are also donating toward the microscope, and the community has been helping in many ways, from service club donations to individual monthly giving. “Every dollar counts,” she pointed out. “Please put our microscope on your wish list and be a part of it. We’re on the home stretch!” Many of the donors have either had cataract surgery themselves or know a loved one who have benefitted from the procedure. Ophthalmologists Dr. Ardis Lindsay and Dr. Sam Stevens perform more than 1,300 cataract surgeries per year at BGH. More than 20,000 area residents have benefitted from cataract surgery since the current microscope was purchased 17 years ago. A new, state-of-the-art microscope would allow the surgeons to visualize the eye with more definition and contrast. To give to the Brockville and District Hospital Foundation Annual Appeal, please call 613-345-4478, email foundation@bgh-on.ca or send your gift to: Brockville and District Hospital Foundation, 75 Charles St., Brockville, ON K6V 1S8.
Bryson Bangma, 6, donated his little yellow bucket filled with change to the Brockville and District Hospital Foundation’s annual appeal for an ophthalmologic microscope, bringing the campaign total to 66 percent of its goal. Behind him are foundation Executive Director Joan McLaughlin, left, and Michele Myatt, BGH Central Service Supervisor, holding a toy microscope. Photo: Christine Endicott/BGH For more information, please contact: Christine
Endicott
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