Today, the Ross Memorial Hospital Foundation kicked off its annual Christmas fundraising campaign that, this year, will help to complete and equip the new Dialysis Unit. The theme of the Christmas Appeal is “Time for Family”. 

Kathlyne Coad, who is a dialysis patient and former Ross employee, is helping the Foundation this year. In the Christmas Appeal letter, Kathlyne explains the importance of the new unit, for her and her fellow patients. The time they’re saved from driving for dialysis treatments in other communities, is now time they’ll have with their families this Christmas. This letter has been mailed to every household in the City of Kawartha Lakes. 

The Appeal letter includes an ornament, shaped like a picture frame. When donors send in their contributions to the campaign, they’re asked to attach a copy of a family picture, or a picture of a loved one in their thoughts this season, and return the ornament. The Foundation is not only receiving ornaments with touching pictures, but letters from donors thanking the Foundation for the opportunity to recognize their loved ones this way. Those ornaments will decorate the Christmas trees in the lobby of the hospital, showing all of the members of the “Ross family”.    

Kathlyne is pleased to see the ornaments as they’re added to the trees. A hospital volunteer, Ralph Griffin, decorates the trees each year. Ralph was happy to join Kathlyne for a picture to help support the Foundation’s Christmas Appeal.      

The goal of the Christmas Appeal is $140,000. These funds will help the Foundation reach its total fundraising goal for the Dialysis Unit, which is $2.2 million. This represents the community’s share of the cost of the new unit, $6.5 million. When it’s finished this summer, new unit will treat 90 dialysis patients. 

For more information or to submit a donation, contact the Ross Memorial Hospital Foundation at (705) 328-6146 or mail to 10 Angeline St. N, Lindsay, ON, K9V 4M8.