grade to the X-ray suite and led a gift-matching appeal for the hospital’s COVID emer - gency fund in 2020. Marilyn has always believed in giving back to the commu- nity, as did her friend Lynne Lawrence. This gift was a way to honour Lynne, who passed away in 2021.
MRI Fundraising Campaign Well on its Way
This past July, the Strathroy Mid- dlesex General Hospital (SMGH) Foundation launched its Advance & Renew Fundraising campaign to raise $8.6 million for a new Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) suite at SMGH. It’s the largest fundraising effort in the Foundation’s 35-year history. This ambitious goal was set in motion 18 months ago when On- tario Health approved SMGH’s application for an MRI machine. The hospital then approached the Foundation for support, and the process of assessing what was
“We continue to be over- whelmed with gratitude by the generosity of Marilyn Buttery’s ongoing support of SMGH and the way she leads by example giving back to her community,” Sue shares. To recognize Marilyn’s dedication to SMGH, the new MRI suite will be named The Marilyn Buttery & Lynne Lawrence CommonWealth Financial MRI Suite. Lastly, Sue confirmed that a third donor will make a significant contribution that completes the Foundation's initial $5 million pledge. The details had not been announced at press time. While over half the project’s funding is secured, the Founda - tion will now focus on raising the remaining $3.6 million need- ed to complete it. They are considering several strategies and welcome the efforts of the community to rally support. Gord Robbins, for example, set up ice cream buckets at several businesses throughout the county to collect beer and pop can tabs to do his part. The new MRI suite at SMGH will provide more options for ear- ly detection, staging and treatment for patients, reduce wait lists, and improve the quality of patient-centred care for the Strathroy-Caradoc community. It also creates opportunities for sharing resources with London’s hospitals. Construction at SMGH began in April 2024 with a projected completion date of March 2025. For more information or to donate to the Advance & Renew Campaign, visit www.smghfoundation.com. Source: SMGH Foundation press releases dated 07/11/2024, 07/26/2024, 08/02/2024, www.smghfoundation.com/news/ Photos courtesy of the SMGH Foundation Bill & Lynne Gray
Marilyn Buttery
needed and developing a budget and fundraising plan began. “With the approval comes a commitment from the provincial gov- ernment to fund operating costs,” explains Sue McLean, SMGH Foundation's CEO, “but not the equipment or the renovations required to house it.” Besides purchasing the MRI machine, a 3,300 square foot space had to be found within the hospital and renovated to ac- commodate the equipment. The new MRI suite will include the scanning room, patient and prep waiting rooms, offices, and re - ception space. The SMGH Foundation pledged an initial $5.5 million upfront to help get the project started. Only two months into the cam - paign, Sue confirms they've met this goal thanks to three sig - nificant contributions. The first gift announced was $2.2 million donated by Bill and Lynne Gray, owners of Gray Ridge Egg Farms and L.H. Gray & Son Limited. Their gift will fully fund the new MRI machine. The Grays are a family well-known to the Strathroy community and throughout southwestern Ontario. They've been instrumental in the egg production and distribution business for 90 years and employ many people from Strathroy and the surrounding area. In the past, Bill and Lynne have supported SMGH by funding a CT scanner, and mammography and ultrasound equipment. The department encompassing X-ray, CT scanning, Ultrasound and the new MRI suite will be named The Bill & Lynne Gray, L.H. Gray & Son Limited Diagnostic Imaging Department to acknowl- edge the Grays’ commitment to their community and SMGH. “The Grays believe in supporting their farm and worker families,” adds Sue. “They saw the addition of MRI services in Strathroy as a way of doing that.” Marilyn Buttery was the next donor to make a leadership gift toward constructing the MRI suite. Marilyn is a longtime Strath- roy resident and former owner of CommonWealth Financial Ser- vices, where she served clients from Strathroy and the surround- ing area for over 45 years. Having worked at SMGH as a young woman, Marilyn maintains a strong personal connection to the hospital. She funded the up-
To advertise here please contact Debbie@villagerpublications.com
September 2024 Page 13
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs