Mental health and hospice care team up
Mental health and hospice care team up with Family & Friends for Drop the Ball Raffle
You never know when you or someone you love might be in need of hospice or mental health services. These services are intrinsically linked – those who are at the end of life in need of hospice care often also need mental health support, and those with a diagnosed mental illnesses can also develop terminal or chronic illnesses that may need hospice support. This linkage is the reason that Family and Friends selected Waypoint and Hospice Huronia as beneficiaries of the 2022 Drop the Ball Raffle and we couldn’t be more excited.
The Drop the Ball Raffle, being held in partnership with the Midland Golf and Country Club, is a tremendous fundraiser that will see 50,000 numbered golf balls dropped on the golf course from a helicopter above; with all proceeds supporting Waypoint and Hospice Huronia.
The event kicked off in September 2021 with a charitable golf tournament that raised $32,300. The Drop the Ball Raffle is slated for September 10, 2022 and will once again feature a charity golf tournament followed by the helicopter golf ball drop.
Tickets are just $10 each or three for $25. Each ticket gives you the opportunity to win one of 13 incredible prizes, plus two early bird draws to take place May 11 and July 26, 2022. Tickets are available online at www.familyandfriendscharity.ca. They make great gifts for your loved ones or as just a treat for yourself while supporting two worthy charities.
“People from all walks of life can find themselves in need of hospice or mental health services. We wanted to keep the raffle tickets affordable to give everyone a chance at these great prizes,” said Gerard La Chapelle. “Sponsors have been so generous in helping us pull together a slate of 30+ outstanding prizes so we’ll have many happy winners and ultimately families and individuals needing help from Waypoint and Hospice Huronia will benefit the most from everyone’s ticket purchases.”
Family & Friends are incredibly grateful to the many local businesses who have supported the Drop the Ball Raffle, sponsoring large-ticket items such as a Nissan car, a Sea-Doo personal watercraft and trailer, a Starcraft boat, motor & trailer, a snow blower, golf packages, trip packages and so much more.
“Tomkins House opened last year to provide a home away-from-home for end of life care,” said Debbie Kesheshian, Executive Director of Hospice Huronia. “It is fundraisers like this raffle and our generous community that allow us to offer our services and programs at no cost to our residents, clients or their families. Your ticket purchase helps families needing our compassionate hospice care or bereavement support and we’re so grateful.”
“We are enormously grateful to be partnering with Family & Friends and Hospice Huronia for this exciting fundraiser,” said Carol Lambie, Waypoint President and CEO. “The continued generosity of our community makes it possible for us to meet the growing demand for mental health and addictions support, treatment and care through the pandemic and beyond.”
Gerard started the original Family & Friends Golf Tournament in 2006 in memory of his wife Gail. “We held a memorial tournament in October 2006, in the snow, and a group of us decided to make it an annual event,” he says. “In 2007 the Family & Friends Charitable Golf tournament officially began and has supported both Georgian Bay General Hospital and Georgian College in the past.”
