When you put your mind to something, nothing is unachievable. Just ask members of the Northwest Community Lodge Association – the group tasked with raising funds for Meadow Lake and area’s long-term care facility of the same name – which, as of press time, is considerably close to reaching its long-standing financial goal.
“The NCLA was developed in 2015 to raise $2.3 million for the furniture, fixtures and equipment at the new building,” explained NCLA president Alannah Carter. “As of today, we have raised $1.92 million… We have $380,000 left to go.” While fundraising efforts began long before the Northwest Community Lodge was even built, the facility has been operational for some time now meaning the equipment and furniture needed to be purchased before the fundraising goal was met.
“We have already purchased all the equipment for the building thanks to the assistance of the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), but we now owe the SHA back,” Carter said. “By furniture, fixtures and equipment, we’re talking anything you can essentially pick up in the building and shake out – all the medical equipment, the beds, the furniture, therapy equipment, the outdoor gazebos, benches, the hairdressing room, you name it. The adult day program, which will open soon, will allow people to drop off their loved ones who are in need of support but don’t quite need long-term care yet. We furnished that space as well in addition to the 72-bed long-term care spaces.”
When the NCLA does ultimately raise the outstanding $380,000, Carter also said the plan is to keep the group together and to continue raising funds for the building and its future needs, much similar to how the Meadow Lake Hospital Foundation operates. “It’s really exciting,” Carter added. “We’re a small group of volunteers from Meadow Lake who have raised a significant amount of money with the community’s and surrounding community’s help. It’s pretty amazing.”
The money has been raised primarily through fundraising efforts and private donations. “We have options for naming recognition in the building… you get recognized for the space you donate toward, and currently we still have two $100,000 spaces and two $75,000 spaces remaining,” Carter noted. “We also still have our $12,000 resident suite challenge ongoing. You can donate $12,000 to recognize and furnish a room. We’ve sold 42 out of 72 suites – there are 30 left to go. Going forward, we’re going to look at an online 50/50 and more events in the fall. We’ve sort of tabled our fundraising efforts for the summer, but we will be up and running again in September. People can follow our Facebook page for updates.” Carter also said it’s important for the public to know the Northwest Community Lodge supports clients of all ages.
“We have people as young as 20 years old up to 104 living here who need extra help,” she said. “People need to know we’re not just an old folks home. We’re a long-term care facility that supports people of all ages and all illnesses, whether it’s physical or mental. It’s a misconception we’re an old folks home – we’re not.”