A name synonymous with community care is being honoured for its many contributions to Belleville General Hospital.
Now in its 30th year, the Medigas Celebrity Classic Golf Tournament has raised $2.7 million for numerous causes throughout the community aimed at helping children in need of medical care.
The original Rick Meagher Celebrity Golf Tournament began in 1988 and has attracted some big NHL names, like Eric Lindros, Doug Gilmour and Bobby Hull.
At a special ceremony Thursday, members of the Belleville General Hospital Foundation celebrated $216,000 in donations to BGH by unveiling the ‘Medigas Celebrity Pulmonary Function Test Room’. Upgraded in 2013, the state-of-the art Pulmonary Function Test Room offers pulmonary function testing to determine how well or poorly a person’s lungs are working.
Derk Damron, manager of the rehabilitation, therapy, echo and stroke program, explained Quinte has one of the highest rates of respiratory diseases and the testing helps 3,000 people annually.
Foundation Executive Director Drew Brown thanked Medigas for their generosity, especially when it comes to the $75,000 they donated towards the new $300,000 dollar outdoor therapy playground for the Quinte Children’s Treatment Centre.
“Hundreds if not thousands of people have received and continue to receive better health care because of the contributions made by Medigas and the Medigas Charity Classic,” Brown told the gathering.
A humble Randy McFarland of Medigas thanked their many supporters.
Fellow board member Jack Miller who has been a part of the tournament since its inception also thanked McFarland for his leadership and dedication to ‘get things done’.
“I have never met a gentleman who does so much but wants to stay in the background,” beamed Miller.
He also announced this will be the last year Medigas holds the tournament that has been recently recognized by its parent company Praxair Inc., as one of three top fundraising events globally.
McFarland pointed to some other exciting plans possibly in the works.
McFarland said they are hoping to bring in $300,000 this year to bring them up to the $3 million mark.
Big names for the July 15 tournament are yet to be decided.