Take your children and their favourite teddies to Shuswap Hospice’s inaugural Teddy Bear Hospital & Community Health Fair at McGuire Lake from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 1.
The focus will of the new event is on fun activities and fundraising, as well as sharing memories.
Children can take their bears to the Teddy Bear Hospital for a medical check-up at an outdoor emergency room manned by physicians and hospital staff. The entrance fee is $5 per bear, but the children’s area will also feature free face-painting and other fun activities.
Health-care professionals will be on-site to provide information on their services and to answer questions at the Community Health Fair.
Seniors will walk with or without assistance around McGuire Lake in a Seniors Memory Walk for Hospice. Participants are asked to gather pledges in support of their walk.
Individuals and teams are also invited to gather pledges and participate in the walk along the foreshore nature path to Raven.
“We are hoping that health and wellness-oriented businesses will participate by setting up a booth,” says fundraising committee chair Sue McCrae.
“We’re hoping to have more than 500 children and their families take part in this event, so this will provide great exposure to businesses and give them an opportunity to help Shuswap Hospice. Food vendors are also welcome.”
Sponsors are also needed to make this event a success, says McCrae.
“We would be grateful for any donation or assistance. Corporate sponsors or monetary donations are always necessary for these kinds of community events to be successful. We would also love to see businesses get involved by actually participating, by getting teams together for one of the Memory Walks or by volunteering.”
The money raised at this event helps Shuswap Hospice carry out its increasing demand for services around the Shuswap.
Hospice is a patient-centred, end-of-life-care team that provides emotional support and strives to make the last months of life as comfortable and peaceful as possible for clients, their families and friends.
“Every year the request for our services grow,” says McCrae. “This fundraising event gives us the means of training more volunteers and meeting the increasing demand for hospice services in our communities.”
For more information on Shuswap Hospice and this fundraiser, contact Sue McCrae at 250-675-3562, or visit fundraising@shuswaphospice.ca.
