The W.E. Care for Kids Foundation is giving over $305,000 to help purchase new equipment at Windsor Regional Hospital.
On Tuesday, a check for $305,699 was presented to the Windsor Regional Hospital Foundation for use in covering the cost of equipment in the pediatric unit, family birthing centre, and neonatal intensive care unit.
Viki Grado, Executive Director of the W.E. Care for Kids Foundation, says they have a very loyal group of sponsors and donors who help them raise this money.
"We have kids doing lemonade stands and donating $20, $50, and those add up. Our lemonade brigade probably made about $15,000," she says.
This year’s funding is going to help purchase fetal monitors and infant radiant warmers for the Family Birthing Unit, syringe pumps for the NICU and Paediatric Department, as well as audiology equipment for the Paediatric Department.
"We are like carpenters; we need tools," he says. "The foundation's support gives us the tools we need to work on a daily basis. Some of these tools are expensive, they are much needed, and some of these tools are state-of-the-art."
Augustine says this equipment will allow them to keep kids in Windsor for their care rather than sending them outside the region.
"We have the necessary expertise to use these devices; it's just a lack of funding to buy them," he says. "So the foundation support brings those much-needed funds to procure them, use them, and keep these kids and families in Windsor, rather than displaced to London."
W.E. Care for Kids raises funds each year to support local paediatric programs through foundation-run events and initiatives.
