Record $3.8M pledged through Prince County Hospital Foundation's annual fundraiser
Grassroots and Cowboy Boots event continues to grow, organizers say
The Prince County Hospital in Summerside will have millions of dollars to spend on new medical equipment thanks to a record-breaking fundraiser over the weekend.
The PCH Foundation won commitments of almost $3.9 million at its annual Grassroots and Cowboy Boots event, more than any other year. Just four years ago, the record was $1.5 million.
Last year, the event saw about $3.2 million in donations pledged.
Gordon MacFarlane, president of the PCH Foundation's volunteer board of directors, said he's impressed with how the fundraiser continues to grow every year.
"Every year after the event we sit back and go, 'Oh my gosh, like, how are we going to be able to keep this going in the future?' type thing.
"It's an amazing number. It just demonstrates again the commitment that Islanders have [to] Prince County Hospital. In some ways it's pretty humbling, as well, that there's that much money being pledged to the Prince County Hospital Foundation."
MacFarlane said the donations will go toward equipment such as a cardiac ultrasound machine, a chemistry analyzer and gear needed in the maternal child-care unit.
With files from Sheehan Desjardins