Mega Drawing raises $18K for projects at Orleans Community Health

MEDINA – In spite of not being able to have an in-person fundraising event this year, Orleans Community Health’s Mega Drawing on Tuesday was a huge success, according to Heather Smith, director of the hospital’s Foundation.

“We are so thrilled with how it went,” Smith said, after the drawing took place live on Facebook at noon Tuesday. “It was our first time hosting a live virtual fundraiser and it will not be our last.”

Participating in the live drawing with Smith were hospital CEO Marc Shurtz and Foundation board member Jeanne Crane.

Smith said the Foundation was in the early stages of planning an event when Covid-19 first hit the region in March. They had originally planned for it to take place outside at Leonard Oakes Estate Winery in August, but in April the committee decided to put all fundraising plans on hold.

“After thinking things through and doing a little research, we decided we could do this event completely virtual through Facebook,” Smith said. “It was much simpler than I thought it would be. We will definitely do something like this again in the near future. We did sell out all 300 tickets with a net profit of just over $18,000. All our winners live locally and represent hospital employees, the fire department, local business owners and community members.”

Seven cash prizes were awarded, ranging from $10,000 to $100, in addition to a lottery tree, office chair and Buffalo Bills fire pit.

Due to the success of the event, Smith said they are able to finalize fundraising for two special projects they are working on with Orleans Community Health. One is the Recovery Room renovation in memory of Nancy Albanese, where they plan to update the lighting, install secure patient lockers, replace the nurses desk, privacy curtains and flooring and install new storage cabinets.

The second project is at the dialysis units in Medina and Batavia. Both locations will receive a new wheelchair scale and new office chairs for the nursing stations and administrative offices. Lastly, they will soon receive a few new laptops to assist with charting while working chair-side with the patients.

Smith extended the Orleans Community Health Foundation’s thanks to all who purchased a ticket and to sponsors, which included Lawley Insurance, Lumsden and McCormick, Dr. Joseph Canzoneri of the Wound Care Center at Medina Memorial Hospital, Western New York Energy, the Greater Rochester Health Foundation and Takeform.

Scratch-off donors were Cusimano’s Pizzeria, Zambistro, Leonard Oakes Estate Winery and the OCH Foundation board members. In addition, prizes were donated for the drawing from Indoff and Orleans/Niagara BOCES.

“Everyone was so enthusiastic about the drawing and so glad to participate,” Smith said.