Committee members from the 26th Annual St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation Golf Classic present a cheque to the Comox Valley Healthcare Foundation (formerly St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation) and Jane Murphy, President & CEO of St. Joseph’s Hospital. This year’s golf event raised a record-breaking $52,000 to purchase a new Fluid Management System for the Operating Room. From left to right, back row: Cyriel DeBruyne, Russ Keil, Russ Wigle, Robert Mulrooney, Peter Diespecker, Randi Reid, Meghan Liddle, Laura Nickel, Lynn Dashkewytch. Bottom Row, Katie Maximick and Jane Murphy (Jim Peacock photo).

Committee members from the 26th Annual St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation Golf Classic present a cheque to the Comox Valley Healthcare Foundation (formerly St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation) and Jane Murphy, President & CEO of St. Joseph’s Hospital. This year’s golf event raised a record-breaking $52,000 to purchase a new Fluid Management System for the Operating Room. From left to right, back row: Cyriel DeBruyne, Russ Keil, Russ Wigle, Robert Mulrooney, Peter Diespecker, Randi Reid, Meghan Liddle, Laura Nickel, Lynn Dashkewytch. Bottom Row, Katie Maximick and Jane Murphy (Jim Peacock photo).

The Comox Valley said goodbye to the final St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation Golf Classic in a big way this year.

On June 16 at Crown Isle, the sold-out golf fundraiser raised over $52,000, a Golf Classic record, to go towards local healthcare needs, including a new Fluid Management System for the operating room at St. Joseph’s Hospital.

“We are absolutely blown away by this year’s event,” said Robert Mulrooney of Mindset Wealth, the event’s title sponsor and chair of organizing committee. “Last year we raised $48,000 and we thought that would be hard to beat, but as usual, generous sponsors and golfers from the Comox Valley came out to make a difference in their community. On behalf of this year’s amazing golf committee, we give our heartfelt appreciation to all past committee members and participants who were instrumental in making this event a community tradition.”

After 26 years in the community, this was the last St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation Golf Classic. St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation unveiled its new name, Comox Valley Healthcare Foundation, to golfers and media prior to tee off at this year’s golf classic, which means next year’s golf event will have a different title, but the same goal of fundraising for local healthcare needs.

“This year’s Golf Classic was a very big event for our Foundation, not only because we introduced our new name to the public, but because it showed us how much our community cares about supporting healthcare in the Comox Valley,” said Lynn Dashkewytch, Executive Director of Comox Valley Healthcare Foundation. “Our Board and staff would like to sincerely thank all of the generous sponsors and golfers for helping us raise such a substantial amount for new medical technology.”

This year’s Super Ticket winner was the team from Raylec Power, who graciously donated their prize of two WestJet tickets to anywhere WestJet flies back to the Foundation to be auctioned off. Emcee Jason Andrews then did his best impression of Comox Valley’s renowned auctioneer Dave Stevens and sold the tickets for an additional $2,500 for the Foundation.

“We are extremely grateful to the generous donors and sponsors of this year’s St. Joseph’s charitable golf tournament,” said Jane Murphy, President & CEO of St. Joseph’s General Hospital. “The funds raised from the golf tournament will support the purchase of the highly specialized Fluid Management System for the Operating Room. This system provides the new standard of gynecological surgical care technology and is essential for optimal monitoring of fluid levels to maximize patient safety and support less operative time.”

This new technology will benefit patients at St. Joseph’s Hospital and will transfer to the new Comox Valley Hospital after it opens in the fall of 2017.