Community pulls together to Back the Build

Pictured at the Wellington on the Lake Clubhouse from left: Shannon Coull, executive director of the PECMH Foundation; WOTL Volunteer, Derek Mendham; WOTL Board Members Kathy Memme, Rick Stevens, Brenda Little and Briar Boyce, senior development officer of the PECMH Foundation.

Eager to get up and going after a two-year pandemic pause, the Wellington on the Lake Residents Association (WOLRA) was pleased to re-activate its biggest fundraiser of the year – their community garage sale.

Brenda Little, coordinator of the garage sale and president of the WOLRA was delighted to hand over $2,000 to Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Foundation (PECMHF) for its Back the Build campaign.

“Since many WOTL residents rely on our County hospital for care, the WOLRA felt that a donation should be made to Back the Build which not only helps WOTL residents, but helps everyone in Prince Edward County,” said Little. The sale historically raises funds to support activities for the residents and contributes to improvements to the property.

The donation will be invested in the new County hospital to support major equipment purchases, such as a computerized tomography (CT) scanner, digital mammography equipment, and a new digital radiography machine.

PECMHF Executive Director Shannon Coull is thankful for the donation and notes she “had a wonderful time looking through all the treasures and was every excited to find the perfect mirror for my son’s bedroom.”

On average, she noted, more than $100,000 is raised each year by third-party events, such as the WOTL garage sale.

“Attending third party fundraisers is a win-win,” she added. “At QHC PECMH, every piece of equipment used in the direct care of patients is funded by our community – including proceeds from community-led fundraisers.”

The WOTL Garage Sale is a huge endeavour taking place over a period of four days. It requires about 100 hardworking volunteers to set up and accept donations on the Thursday and Friday before the sale, work the sale on Saturday, then clean up on Sunday.

Items leftover after the sale were divided between seven charities including the PECMH Auxiliary for the Second Time Around Shop in Picton, Kate’s Rest, local churches and local Syrian families.

“This is probably the most labour-intensive fundraiser that we host, but it’s also one that I always say is the greatest because it involves the whole community and is one where we enlist a lot of volunteers. We involve as many people as we can and we try to do the best we can with what we receive,” said Little. “Though the garage sale is a lot of hard work, the volunteers feel satisfied making it fun for each other, making new friends and pulling the community together.”