“Side by Side” is a Raffle Prize as Well as a Community Attitude
Published Monday, March 11, 2024
Message from Parker Jones
Chair, Board of Directors, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation
What springs to mind when you think of community-supported healthcare? Certainly the Thunder Bay 50/50 draw, along with the Exceptional Cancer Care Campaign several years ago. The Care Beyond Compare Campaign that built our Hospital 20 years ago is an obvious choice as well.
In my mind, the Witiluk Family is another great example of that community support. The family is well known in Thunder Bay as owners of the Balmoral Park Acura and Thunder Bay Mitsubishi dealerships along with J&J Sports. They give back to the community in tremendous ways – especially when it comes to local cardiac care.
Almost 25 years ago, Jack Witiluk had a heart attack and had to fly to Ottawa for treatment. His son Jeff recently talked about how scary and lonely that was for his father and his mother, Barb. I think many of us can relate. Travelling to a foreign city, far from family and friends, for life-saving treatments… it's an unnecessary added stress. The family is left helpless at home too, wondering what's happening to their loved ones so far away.
They saw firsthand how donors help bring more healthcare home to the region. Several years later, when Jack needed another cardiac procedure, he was able to have the procedure right here at our Hospital. Without everyone working side by side towards the same goal, we never would have been able to bring those cardiac services to Thunder Bay.
Today, the Witiluk Family continually supports the Northern Cardiac Fund to ensure even more patients can get the care they need, closer to home. Right now, J&J Sports is sponsoring the Save a Heart Raffle by donating a prize that is about as Northwestern Ontario as you can get. The Polaris RZR 900 Trail Premium Side by Side, valued at over $27,000, is a beautiful off-road vehicle to explore Northwestern Ontario.
The draw date is Monday, April 1st.
Tickets are just $20 each, 3 for $50, or 10 for $100. You can buy them on-line at www.healthsciencesfoundation.ca/save-a-heart-raffle or in-person at:
- J&J Sports, 939 Tungsten Street
- Thunder Bay Mitsubishi, 872 Copper Crescent
- Balmoral Park Acura, 868 Copper Crescent
- the Thunder Bay 50/50 Store in the Intercity Shopping Centre
- Health Sciences Foundation Donation Centre (Hospital lobby next to Robin's Donuts)
Please get out there and buy your tickets. Every ticket purchased supports the new Cardiovascular Surgery Program so that our patients across Northwestern Ontario can get heart surgery right here in Thunder Bay, not a thousand miles away. It's a great cause – and a great way to support the community side by side with a family who has given so much to local cardiac care.
Parker Jones