April 24 fundraiser supports new patient-care equipment at Lakeshore hospital
The Lakeshore Hospital Guild is preparing to host its annual spring fundraiser next week, aiming to raise about $10,000 for a much-needed piece of equipment at Ashern’s Lakeshore General Hospital.
Volunteer members of the Lakeshore Hospital Guild held a fundraiser in 2025 for the hospital that included a variety of homemade food, baked goods and desserts
This year’s “Enchanted Garden” themed event will support the purchase of a handheld ultrasound-guided venipuncture device for the hospital’s acute care and emergency departments.
“We need to replenish our funds. At our last meeting, a request came to purchase a handheld ultrasound-guided venipuncture for the acute and the ER departments,” said guild president Shelley Bjornson. “This will allow medical staff to easily find veins on patients with collapsed or deep veins. This is something the hospital said would be a real benefit to both patients and staff. It costs $9,650 for one machine.”
The fundraiser will feature a homemade meal, musical entertainment, a bake table, silent auction and a cash raffle.
“We have a great decorating committee that comes up with a different theme every year. We try to make it an enjoyable afternoon for everyone,” said Bjornson. “People can just roll up and order lunch. We’ll have homemade soup, homemade chili and pies and desserts. We’ll have a bake table with all kinds of breads and goodies that our guild members donate. People can shop at the bake table and take part in a silent auction and our cash raffle.”
Band students from Ashern Central School will provide musical entertainment from 1 to 2 p.m.
The Lakeshore Hospital Guild holds a major fundraiser every spring and has received strong community support over the years, with all proceeds directed toward enhancing patient care at the recently expanded and renovated hospital.
The provincial government has invested in upgrades at the facility in recent years. In 2025, 12 new inpatient beds were added, bringing the total to 26. In March, the emergency department was expanded, adding eight more treatment spaces for a total of 13.
Bjornson said the expansion of the medicine inpatient unit did not include televisions in patient rooms, prompting the guild to step in.
“It was brought to our attention that there were no televisions and that it was not wired for TV. Some of the guild members had family in the hospital and said the days are so long and there’s nothing for them to watch,” she said. “The manager we had spoken with at the hospital said it was not something they had included in the new design. But we felt it was very important … and they accepted our proposal.”
The guild purchased 26 hospital-grade, 15-inch LED touchscreen televisions at a cost of $33,644. The units are mounted on swinging arms beside patient beds and operated directly by touch, without remotes. The televisions were ordered in December and have recently arrived.
The guild has been active for decades and will mark its 50th anniversary in 2028. Its approximately 50 members — primarily volunteers — continue to play a key role in supporting patient care at the hospital.
“Mostly, it’s our guild members who donate. We ask a lot of them. We also ask them to donate baking and silent auction items. We have a friends of the guild group, too,” said Bjornson. “For example, my brother donates and my neighbour donates. We do talk to some businesses and they help us as well. But it’s really the guild members that put the spring fundraiser event on.”
In addition to the annual spring event, the guild raises funds through funeral lunch catering, memorial donations and smaller initiatives throughout the year.
The Lakeshore Hospital Guild’s spring fundraiser will take place Friday, April 24 from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Ashern Royal Canadian Legion Branch, 3 Main St. E.
