As GivingTuesday 2018 came to a close, Victoria Hospice received enough donations to not only meet their $100,000 fundraising goal, but to surpass it.
An anonymous donor had promised to match up to $50,000 of donations made until the end of Nov. 27. With gifts from 119 people pouring in on Tuesday alone, Victoria Hospice raised a total of $110,663.
“We had an absolutely amazing day,” Tom Arnold, the director of fund development for Victoria Hospice, said. “The generosity of the local community just absolutely overwhelmed us … It was handstands and huzzahs all around.”
READ MORE: Victoria Hospice hopes to raise $100,000 with help of GivingTuesday
Then, another group of anonymous donors made a second donation-match arrangement. Until Dec. 31, any donation made to Victoria Hospice will be matched up to $50,000. Combined with the GivingTuesday donations, the organization could raise $200,000 by the end of the year.
By noon on Nov. 28 the total raised increased again by nearly $15,000, bringing the organization up to $127,235.26.
“I know one of the donors in particular, he feels very strongly in the work the hospice has done in terms of putting patients and families at the centre of care,” Arnold said. “He feels that’s critical at end of life, but also something that’s critical throughout the health care system, so he wants to support Victoria Hospice in creating more of that kind of care.”
Only half of Victoria Hospice’s budget is covered by the funding from the healthcare system, so donations are crucial to the operation of hospice care.
The funds will be used for counselling support, extra equipment and training for the nurses. Arnold said it would go toward keeping patients at end-of-life comfortable.
When the donors confirmed their donation-match on GivingTuesday, Arnold said he was thrilled.
“The difference that donor dollars make to the care we can provide patients and families is so heartwarming,” he said.
“When we receive gifts like this, it really energizes our caregivers, all of our nurses, our counsellors, our staff, because they get to see their care makes a difference in the community. They see the generosity that comes back in and know that’s a result of the care they provided.”
Donations can be made at victoriahospice.org. They’ll be matched up to $50,000 until Dec. 31.
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