Media Release
November 1, 2021 – It all began with an unfortunate slip last spring. Don “Sparky” Leonard of Mallory Beach, found himself in the Emergency Department at the Wiarton Hospital with an infected leg, a result of a pond maintenance mishap. Sparky experienced the “best care ever” from the moment he arrived at reception, to the doctor’s diagnosis, to the following week of daily treatments from professional and caring nurses.
Sparky has been a Rotarian for 23 years, so it is no surprise that he felt compelled to mobilize his gratitude and appreciation for the exceptional care he received into action. His plan was a simple one, a summer long neighbourhood bottle drive, thus the Mallory Beach “Empties for X-ray” Fundraising Campaign was born. Sparky’s plan and lots of hard work has resulted in a total of $9,246 raised for the much needed replacement X-ray machine for the Wiarton Hospital.
Fellow Rotarians, Mike Mason of Wiarton, and Nick Torra of Tamarac Island, pitched in by motivating their neighbours to donate their empties in support of Mallory Beach’s bottle drive, and Trevor Hathaway led the Rotary team in Red Bay. In the end, a third of the funds raised are thanks to the additional support provided by these communities.
“I am so moved by the backing of my fellow Rotarians. Their support truly underpins Rotary’s 2019-2020 theme of Connecting the World, but in this case, Rotary is connecting communities.” Sparky also commended the Mallory Beach community for their terrific participation all summer long, saying “I am really impressed by my neighbours who quickly got on board and into the routine of leaving their empties at the end of their lanes for me to pickup. I also want to thank the many who made cash donations in support of my fundraiser. Additionally, I want to send a big thanks to the staff of the Wiarton Beer Store for their terrific assistance.”
“The Mallory Beach neighbourhood bottle drive is a great example of how the efforts of a few can have a tremendous impact on a community” said BPH Foundation Board Director, Jim Preston. “After weeks of collecting bottles, a team of volunteers was able to raise thousands of dollars. Those dollars will have a significant impact on our ability to purchase much needed X-ray equipment for the Lion’s Head and Wiarton hospitals. On behalf of the Foundation, I’d like to thank all of those volunteers and anyone who donated to the drive. It will allow more people in our community to receive the best care possible right here at home. It is truly a tremendous accomplishment and one I hope we can continue.”
“Our current x-ray machines have served us well, outliving their usual 10 year lifespan by 5 years, but they are now seriously overdue for replacement” said April Patry, BPHF Executive Director. “The x-rays are often referred to as the first line of defense when diagnosing patients. In a typical year, Bruce Peninsula hospitals provide over 8000 x-rays combined,” she added. The total project cost is just over $1 million dollars and are slated for installation in 2022/23.
