Close to $30,000 has been raised so far by local marksmen for Vanderhoof’s oncology unit.
On Sept. 20, members of the Nechako Valley Sporting Association’s sporting clay division presented this year’s contribution of $8,300 to St. John Hospital Auxiliary.
With 46 participants testing their marksmanship against clay pigeons at the Nechako Sporting Grounds on June 26, the annual Take a Shot at Cancer event started four years ago, when a member of the Dawson Creek sporting clay club suggested the idea to Vanderhoof’s community. He did not know that he would die from cancer within the year, said Wayne Salewski, an organizer of the event.
“[Cancer] has touched all of us who lost family relatives to the disease,” he said. “When you tell people it’s for cancer, everyone can relate.”
Proceeds of the event will go towards all needs of the local oncology department, from patient comfort to future renovations, said Edna Oryshchuk, president of the St. John Hospital Auxiliary Society.
The group is looking into renewing the unit’s IV pumps, four of which cost $16,400. The new equipment would be able to determine how many drops of medication to deliver to the patient according to the name of the medication, patient’s weight, and other specified information.
“St. John Hospital Auxiliary is certainly honoured that the clay shooting division is continuing its support to our local Ruby Ellen Van Andel Community Oncology Clinic,” Oryshchuk said. “We really appreciate that we are the recipient, and the money is staying local for our healthcare in Vanderhoof.”