It was my pleasure to be in attendance for a
major funding announcement pertaining to the moving of the
Alzheimer Society Sudbury/Manitoulin Centre from their portable
building situated on the grounds of Pioneer Manor to an
existing vacant wing of the Pioneer Manor building.
As chair of the Pioneer Manor Seniors Campus
project, this anticipated move to a large facility has long
been in the works. However, the Alzheimer Society's capital
campaign has been slow getting off the ground because of other
community fundraising activities over the past number of
years.
This all changed with this week's
announcement. The Sudbury Dragon Boat Festival's partner for
2004 will be the Sudbury Manitoulin Alzheimer
Society capital campaign.
This partnership will not only provide a much
needed monetary boost to this campaign, but will also elevate
the profile of the Alzheimer Society fundraising efforts
generally, and highlight the dreaded disease of Alzheimer's
specifically.
I felt the need to write about this exciting
partnership because in 1999 I had the privilege of chairing the
Sudbury 2000 Millennium Committee. I recall Steve Lee asking
for $5,000 so that his group could pursue their idea for dragon
boat races on Ramsey Lake.
I recall thinking, "Dragon boat racing, what
the heck is this all about?"
Nevertheless his group got $5,000 and as the
old saying goes, the rest is history. From those humble
beginnings, the Dragon Boat Festival has grown to be one of our
community's first class premier summer time events, and in the
process, has raised more than $600,000 in support of the Heart
and Soul Campaign in four short years.
On behalf of the Pioneer Manor Seniors'
Campus project committee, I want to personally thank the Dragon
Boat committee members and their key sponsors MCTV and the
Investors' Group for selecting to fund the Alzheimer Society's
very important community project.
Ted Callaghan
Councillor, Ward 4