The greatest needs of Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge will be addressed this week during the annual Care from the Heart Day Radio-a-thon.
The initiative is led by the Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation. On Thursday, February 13 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., radio stations across Lethbridge, including 98.1 the Ranch and 94.1 CJOC, will broadcast on-location and share stories from local health care workers.
Bob Balog serves as the event’s honorary chair. He says events like this are vastly important for the local hospital and southern Alberta community as a whole.
“Because whether we like it or not and whether we want to or not, every family will end up needing and using the hospital,” he remarks.
“So, if we’re in this community, let’s make it the best we can. Let’s get the very best equipment that we can and let’s support the hospital as much as we can.”
Funds raised from the event will help with purchasing new equipment and programs at the Lethbridge hospital.
Balog, who has been a Lethbridge area resident since the early 1970s, says it is encouraging to see the fundraiser grow each year, especially as the city’s population increases. “When you get more people, you’re going to need more services – the hospital being one of the big ones,” he notes.
“I think the Lethbridge area [and] the southern Alberta community has been very proud and very active in supporting. I know that the hospital is one of these areas – because we do lots of [fundraisers] for different organizations, but the hospital [event] is one of the ones we find that is the most effective and people are eager to participate.”
The goal for 2025 is to raise $400,000 on the event day. In 2024, the 14th annual event raised $569,759 for the CRH Foundation.
More details about the fundraiser are available at the foundation website.
