2016 Excellence Gala a Huge Success!

The 2016 Excellence Gala has come and gone and I am still absolutely blown-away by the overwhelming support this premier event received! On October 1, 2016, 250 guests attended this inaugural event held at Ottawa University’s Schendel Conference Center. The first event of its kind for the Ottawa Community, it proved to be a huge success for Ransom Memorial Hospital.
Guests enjoyed an evening of eats, drinks, treats and giving.

The night began with a cocktail hour while attendees put in their bid on silent auction items, bought chances at winning a 65” Smart TV, had their picture taken by a professional photographer, and listened to the sounds of the grand piano playing in the background. Dinner was served around 7:00 pm. Those in attendance enjoyed an abundance of food choices, from Prime Rib to Lobster, Stuffed Mushroom Caps to a Gourmet Mashed Potato bar, even a Pasta Bar. The options were endless and delicious. Following dinner, a feature video was presented right before the bidding heated-up during the Live Auction. The night was capped with the band, Funk Syndicate, that kept the crowd entertained and dancing until the doors closed at Midnight.

Ransom Memorial Hospital and the Charitable Association would like to thank our generous donors in and surrounding this community. With 40 supporting businesses, $98,000 in sponsorships for the event were raised. Another 65 businesses and individuals donated to the silent and live auctions that raised over $35,000. The event as a whole raised more than $150,000.

All proceeds from the event have been earmarked for the new emergency department build-out to be completed in 2017. The current emergency department continues to care for more patients than capacity allows on a daily basis. Designed with seven patient rooms to care for up to 800 patients per month, the current department is literally busting at the seams. Presently seeing an average of 1100 patients per month with numbers that continue to climb, patients are being cared for on hallway gurney’s as the department is overloaded with patients. With 12 patient rooms, the new emergency department has been designed to adequately care for the higher patient volumes and provide space for that number to continue to grow.

This event would not have been possible without the help of a special committee of community volunteers who spent many hours helping to prepare for the event.

On behalf of the Charitable Association Board, the RMH Administrative team, and myself, I would just like to say “THANK YOU” to all who contributed in some way to make this event such a huge success!

Kaci Brady
Executive Director
Ransom Memorial Hospital Charitable Association