Staff and volunteers at Orillia's Helping Hands celebrated their second annual Grand Parade fundraiser by surpassing their goal.
More than $20,000 was raised as part of the event at Couchiching Beach Park Saturday with funds going toward a new van for the company to continue supporting the community.
Anita Pierce has been a personal support worker (PSW) with Helping Hands for seven years. She has experience in hospital settings, personal care, and institutional environments.
“It takes a lot of teamwork,” she said.
That is exactly what everyone did to help achieve their goal to obtain a new vehicle for the organization. The fundraising teams consisted of groups of drivers, board members, office workers, PSWs and home support workers.
PSW Erin Birch challenged her team to raise $2,000 and vowed to wear a banana costume for the parade if the goal was met. When they reached $3,500, she knew she would be needing that banana suit.
Kathy Gough-Stong, client service manager at Helping Hands, explained how the organization was able to double the amount raised in a single year.
“Last year, we delivered about 25,000 rides to seniors in our community and 10,000 Meals on Wheels, and the demand only grows,” said Helping Hands CEO Doug Rawson.
“Because we’re not a huge organization, you need a focus,” added Joe Fecht, who sits on the board of directors.
That focus applies to leadership as well as fundraising, he said, and for this year, it was the van that drove their focus. A new vehicle was a practical goal for the community care Helping Hands provides, he said.
Helping Hands has more visions of growth in supporting independence for people in their homes.
“It’s about providing more care in the community, predominantly with things like personal support and homemaking. We’re also working on increasing our transitional beds, so caring for people for up to 90 days,” said Rawson.
Helping Hands currently has 10 beds to help transition people from hospital who are not ready to go straight home. There is a goal of adding 15 more over the next couple of years.
“We’re always working on partnerships,” said Rawson. “They’re key to what we do.”
He explained Helping Hands has a strong relationship with Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital and The Sharing Place Food Centre, which supports the Meals on Wheels program.
Furthermore, Helping Hands plans to expand its volunteer programs, particularly the phone reassurance program, which is one avenue for high school students to be involved when completing volunteer hours.
The key message from Saturday’s Grand Parade and celebration of the new van is about community service.
“We’re always looking for help from the community whether that’s volunteers ... whether it’s helping out with the Meals on Wheels program, the phone reassurance program," said Rawson. "It’s to help more people stay safe and that we can get the right resource to them.”
