A Reality Check For Helping Your Community… It’s Not About The Money
Submitted by Morley Lymburner
“Are the numbers up?” That is a question I hear every week at the Sauble Beach Sunset Cruisers events. Numbers of Cars, numbers of people in attendance and, of course, numbers relating to donations and 50/50 tickets sold. I now have a new appreciation for numbers in respect to all we do as a car club.
Yesterday I went to the Wiarton Hospital to have my annual blood tests. If you are my age you know the drill – your annual checkup shows a number out of whack, or you have an ache or pain that is unusual, resulting in blood tests, more visits to doctors and another prescription to make it all go away; or at least make things tolerable to carry on. I realize it all becomes routine at my age.
Being a little late for my appointment I forgot my fidget toy for waiting rooms… my cell phone. No emails, Facebook or Solitaire to pass the time. So I sat in a foyer awaiting my name to be called. There were four others ahead of me. Luckily there are some posters to look at giving advice on your health, where to call for assistance, another health App for that device I left at home and a poster showing the importance of your donation to the hospital.
It was then I noticed a mother with her two children. A little girl, around seven, reading a book and her brother, about five or so. It was difficult to tell his age because he had no hair. His skin was pale and he was very thin. Fine featured with dark eyes that matched the obvious family traits. As he clung to his mother I noticed he carried a small teddy bear. He looked up at his mother and casually said, “are my numbers up?” His mother responded “we will know in about 45 minutes. That’s when we will know if we have to go to London tomorrow.”
It struck me then that at his tender age it was his routine to go for blood tests, as it was mine, and something we had both come to terms with. I could not help but watch this, yet I wanted to turn away. They were met by people who cared about what they do each day and it was obviously much more than a job. The staff did not have the urge to turn away as I did. They engaged with words of assurance and encouragement.
Last year, Sauble Beach Sunset Cruisers decided to choose the Bruce Peninsula Hospitals Foundation to be the charity of choice for the 15 weekly car shows at Sauble Beach. Looking at this pragmatically it makes sense. The organization is what could be described as a loose-knit accumulation of classic car enthusiasts who enjoy meeting with the public and each other to discuss their hobby and mutual interests. It is not an organized club, but rather a group of people who pool their many talents to ensure the shows happen. In motor terms the group is like the spark plugs that keeps the machinery of the show moving.
In such a situation they do not have a corporate routine of meetings, budget planning or governmental reporting processes. So the relationship with a registered charity is of mutual benefit. The car club committee has some modest expenses each year that are picked up by the charity and in return the charity receives the opportunity to raise funds for the needs of the hospitals in the region.
That visit to the hospital yesterday reinforced the importance of supporting the hospital foundation. I now realize the donations to this Foundation has nothing to do with their financial requirements. Taking in the bigger picture, the mathematics of how much money is gathered does not really amount to a hill of beans to the daily operations of such a massive need. It is just loose change in our pockets. It has everything to do with showing support for the efforts of folks who work tirelessly caring for other people. People at a fragile point in their lives who need help in a wide array of circumstances.
Every little bit you put in that donation bucket, and every 50/50 ticket you buy, supports the facilities and the people who care for the most vulnerable among us. People like that little boy who asks his mother that simple question: “Are my numbers up?”
In addition to being one of the first babies born in the Wiarton Hospital, Morley is the planner and coordinator for the Sauble Beach Sunset Cruisers team. Each Tuesday (June 11 to September 10, 2024) evening from 5:00 PM to around sunset regional classic car owners are invited to show off their vehicles to an adoring audience of residents, visitors and tourists. This year the Bruce Peninsula Hospitals Foundation (Bright Shores Health) have been invited to use this activity as a fundraising opportunity.
For further information you may contact him at SaubleBeachSunsetCruisers@Gmail.com or go to the website of the Foundation at www.bphfoundation.com
