THUNDER BAY – On Friday, March 6, the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation celebrated the winners of its fifth annual Save a Heart Car Raffle.
The grand prize winner, June Martyn, drove away in her new 2015 Acura ILX, generously donated outright by Balmoral Park Acura, allowing more funds to go directly to cardiac care. “Raising around $100,000 for state-of-the-art cardiac equipment over the past 2 years is a big deal and Balmoral Park Acura is thrilled to have been part of this,” said Ryan Witiluk, General Manager. “We see the impact these funds have had on our community and are extremely thankful for the excellent level of care we have in Northwestern Ontario.”
Other prize winners included Deb Paris, second prize winner of the 2 return trips to any Porter Airlines scheduled destination, donated by Porter Airlines, and Annie Whittle (of Saskatchewan), third prize winner of a Panasonic Home Entertainment Package, donated by Bob Strachan.
All proceeds from the Save a Heart Car Raffle support the Northern Cardiac Fund of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation. 100% of the proceeds remain in Northwestern Ontario to fund cardiac care at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. This year, $50,000 was raised through ticket sales, bringing the 5-year total to over $217,000 to ensure the care cardiac patients need is available to them, close to home.
Glenn Craig, President and CEO, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation, confirmed how important community support is to the future of cardiac care. “Thanks to Balmoral Park Acura and events like the Save a Heart Car Raffle and Ball, cardiac care at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre has never been better. We have a two Catheterization Labs that provide 24/7 angioplasty close to home, and newer equipment to ensure clearer images, and faster and safer procedures. Our community firmly stands behind our cardiac care team and support their efforts to expand our program to a future that includes a cardiovascular surgery program here at the Health Sciences Centre.”
