The Bluewater Health Foundation is hoping to spread the word about its next campaign, to fund new space in Sarnia’s hospital for survivors of sexual assault.
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Part of that is hosting a new fundraiser called Sunday Fun Day, March 3, at Widder Station in Thedford, said foundation executive director Kathy Alexander.
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Hopes are to raise $10,000 toward a $600,000 campaign, to move Bluewater Health’s sexual assault and domestic violence treatment center to larger, more comforting space in the hospital, she said.
Bluewater Health also is partnering with the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Center Sarnia-Lambton on the 1 pm to 6 pm fundraiser, featuring bonfires, prizes, walking trails (weather permitting), cozy drinks, and live music by The Feverish Lemons and A Mighty Fine Mess, she said.
The survivors’ center also is fundraising for plans to move and rebrand in 2024, at a cost of $55,000, officials said in a news release.
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Raising money is great, “but really it’s about awareness building, talking about the projects,” Alexander said about the initiative, adding “if one person picks up a pamphlet at that event that needs help and support, that ultimately is a really big win -win.”
Between April 2022 and March 2023, the treatment center, which opened in 1987, saw 43 patients who were victims of domestic violence, 42 who were victims of sexual assault, 70 follow up patients, including victims of sex trafficking, and 12 children, a Bluewater Health Foundation report says.
Survivors who seek help often are referred to the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Center and other community partner agencies, said Carrie Gavigan, Bluewater Health emergency services and care transitions director.
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“We offer a safe, secure, discreet space for survivors to access when experiencing a crisis,” she said, adding the treatment center operates non-stop with specially trained nurses and doctors.
“They’ve helped so many in the community,” she said. “But our current space really no longer meets our growing population, and we’re in need of a refresh for sure.”
Creating the new space is expected to start early this spring and finish in the fall, she said, noting there will be no disruption in patient services while the new treatment center is built in a discreet, unspecified space in hospital, closer to the emergency department .
It’s the first step in a second-floor renovation plan at Sarnia’s hospital, she said, that also includes plans to update and expand Bluewater Health’s cancer care clinic. Another $3.7-million Bluewater Health Foundation campaign is underway to fund that project.
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“Staff are very excited” about the upgrade, Gavigan said, noting the current treatment center is behind unmarked doors in the hospital, to preserve patient privacy.
“General population could walk through the entrance of our door multiple times and have no clue what is behind the door,” she said.
Sexual Assault Survivors’ Center executive director Chantel Butterfield, in the release, said they’re excited to partner on the fundraising initiative.
“We envision a world where all people live free of sexual violence and oppression, and we are grateful to have a community standing with us who not only share our vision, but also support this important cause,” she said.
Tickets, $60, and details are available at revelree.ca/event/sundayfunday.
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