Best Community Event: Give a Little Life Day

The Victoria Hospital Foundation (VHF) was named ‘Best Local Charity’ in the 2020 Best of the Best (BOB) awards. This year, they also took home the ‘Best Community Event’ award in recognition of the annual ‘Give a Little Life Day’ (GALLD) fundraiser.

The GALLD radiothon is a 12-hour event broadcasted on the local Jim Pattison Broadcast Group radio stations. It started in 2005 and since then has raised over $7 million for the Victoria Hospital’s maternity and eye clinics, mammography equipment, neonatal intensive care unit, pharmacy and more.

“Prince Albert is a small but mighty community and time and time again, they let us know how connected they feel to their hospital,” said VHF chief executive officer Sherry Buckler.

“Everyone has a story about their hospital, whether they’ve delivered babies here, mended broken bones here or said goodbye to a loved one – the hospital is the one commonality that unites an entire region.”

Buckler went on to say the community cares about the hospital’s capabilities, space, equipment and level of care because they know they’ll need it at some point. The fact that 100 per cent of donations stays in the community is another reason the GALLD radiothon is so successful.

In 2019, $2.2 million was fundraised for a new neonatal intensive care unit for fragile babies – making it the largest and most successful radiothon in the province.

The event features stories and personal experiences from doctors, patients, and donors. While every dollar counts, Buckler acknowledged some of the most generous people in the community who continue to make a difference through GALLD.

“Malcom Jenkins from Canadian Tire – his involvement in the radiothon has been since the very first year and he always leads the charge. Plus, he brings Toffifee,” she laughed.

“The estate of Mr. Nordman last year brought our staff to tears when we learned he devoted his estate to the babies of the hospital.”

Another highlight of the annual event happened in 2007, when an unexpected and much needed gift of nearly $400,000 from Art Hauser in the last hour of the radiothon completed the VHF’s goal to purchase equipment for the eye clinic and the ICU.

Give a Little Life Day – voted ‘Best Community Event’ in the 2020 BOB Awards.

The VHF can be found on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.