Bicycle riders from across Canada and the United States stopped in Nanaimo to present funding for new equipment in the perinatal unit at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.
Canada Cycles for Kids organizes fundraising tours to support children across the country. Founded in 2002, the organization has raised more than $4 million through 20 tours for hospitals and organizations supporting children in communities across Canada.
The organization committed funding for a dedicated perinatal operating room cautery machine valued at $28,744.80 and a new fetal monitor valued at $24,500.
Canada Cycles for Kids co-founder Robert Fetherstonhaugh said the organization does not accept applications when deciding where to direct funding, but instead approaches communities individually.
“We go and we bring money from outside the community so we are not impacting on the fundraising efforts here, which are phenomenal, we are kind of an add on,” he said.
The organization is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Fetherstonhaugh said it has raised more than $1 million so far this year.
Nanaimo and District Hospital Foundation CEO Barney Ellis-Perry said the fundraiser is unusual because donors from outside the region are contributing to the Nanaimo hospital.
“99 per cent of the fundraising and the funds we receive are all from people within Nanaimo and central island so this is very unusual for us to receive this and they have done this in all the provinces and a lot of the territories across Canada.”
The cautery machine will be used during emergency Caesarean sections and replaces the need to share equipment with general operating rooms. The fetal monitor completes the hospital foundation’s fundraising campaign to replace 20 fetal monitors in the Perinatal Unit.
