Hospital and rotary programs are receiving new funding as the Tour de Guelph fundraiser celebrated a record-breaking year.
The event wrapped up on June 23 and it was announced two days later that the initiative generated $190,000, just shy of its $200,000 fundraising goal.
Elizabeth Stewart, director of community engagement and communication for the Foundation of Guelph General Hospital, said the amount of money raised showed a sense of community.
The 11th annual bike ride saw nearly 800 cyclists travel around Guelph and the surrounding area.
“It’s so nice to see familiar faces returning year after year and it’s also great to see so many new faces attending the event,” Stewart said.
She said Guelph is a rapidly growing community and it’s really important to be reaching newcomers to the community.
Stewart said proceeds will go towards Guelph General Hospital and local charitable programs through the Rotary Clubs of Guelph South and Guelph Trillium.
She said 75 per cent of the funds raised will go to support hospital equipment and the remaining 25 per cent will be distributed through the two Rotary clubs.
“Those funds will be used to purchase new colonoscopes; of course, those are really important for preventative screening as well as guiding medical procedures to help treat colon disease and illness,” she said.
In a news release, Mark Walton, president and CEO of Guelph General Hospital, said that since all of the money is raised through donations, proceeds from this event are essential to enabling the health-care team to provide exemplary and equitable care for the community.
Donations are being accepted until July 3.
Stewart is confident that they can reach the $200,000 goal within that time.
“Some of our biggest fundraising days leading up to the event, we saw one day where we had over $9,000 of donations come in,” she said.
To contribute and learn more about next year’s fundraiser, you can go to the TourdeGuelph.ca website.