Royal Canadian Legion branches in Okotoks and High River paired up to make a large donation to the High River District Healthcare Foundation on March 26.
The respective branch presidents presented a cheque to the health care foundation at the High River Legion Hall.
The donation totalled over $28,000 with each Legion branch chipping in half. The donation was made to help the foundation purchase eight cataract surgery wands, expanding High River General Hospital’s ability to provide cataract care to the region.
“This is specialized surgical equipment for our hospital. They are the instrument that is in the surgeon’s hand, and to have that many allows everything to be sanitized in between surgeries, which will allow more people to have access to these surgeries,” said Wendy Kennelly, executive director of the High River District Healthcare Foundation.
The Legion branches teamed up for the donation in order to make a bigger contribution than possible alone. The intent was to allow for greater access to cataract removal surgery for veterans and non-veterans alike.
”It will assist any veterans in the area and the general citizenship. The intention is for the veterans within our area to have access to more modern technology,” said Okotoks Legion president Rick Oncescu.
“The funds come from the Poppy Fund that we raised in Okotoks," said Oncescu. "We felt by combining it with High River we get a bigger bang for our buck.”
The Poppy Fund is a trust that raises money annually by the Royal Canadian Legion. It is aimed at supporting Canada's veteran population by supporting local veteran access to healthcare, housing and programs.
The two Legion branches made a similar donation to the High River District Health Care Foundation in 2022. That donation totalled almost $24,000 for medical equipment designed to help heal wounds.
"We are very lucky,” said Kennelly. “The Legions have been wonderful, longtime partners of our foundation.”
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