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Vernon veterans club shaves heads, donates big to hospice society

The Army, Navy and Airforce Veteran’s Club donated $7,600 to the North Okanagan Hospice Society

Heads were shaved and money was raised for the North Okanagan Hospice Society.

The Army, Navy and Airforce Veteran’s Club (ANAF) of Vernon handed the hospice society a cheque for $7,600 Saturday, Nov. 19, funds raised from its weekly meat draws as well as 50/50 proceeds from the Ladies’ Auxiliary.

Erwin Ruf, president of the ANAF, said club members had a bit of fun with a fundraising challenge. Two ANAF executive members pledged to shave their heads upon raising a certain amount of funds. The two members raised over $1,100 and are now sporting bald heads.

“A couple of our members from the executive came up with the idea of shaving their heads. Well, they did,” laughed Ruf.

The funding comes at a time when the Hospice House is looking to do some extensive renovations.

“Hospice House is aging and we need a lot of infrastructure improvements,” said Lisa Matthews, executive director of North Okanagan Hospice Society.

The building needs a new roof, a paint job, updated decor and IT infrastructure, and the funds donated by the ANAF will go towards those projects.

Matthews said the renovations need to be done within the next two years, “so we’ve got a lot of work to be done.”

The community has already come through with great support. As one example, Butcher Boys raised more than $20,000 for hospice. The annual Hike for Hospice will also bring in funds to operate the building.

Hospice will also benefit from partial proceeds from The Last Breath, an event telling the miraculous story of sea diver Chris Lemons’ fight for survival, put on by the Emily Dahl Foundation at the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre on Nov. 29.

The Hospice House is a 12-bed residence where individuals receive end-of-life care and support in a warm and comfortable environment. It is operated by the North Okanagan Hospice Society, a registered charity. The society always welcomes donations, which can be made at nohs.ca.

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Brendan Shykora
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Brendan Shykora

About the Author: Brendan Shykora

I started as a carrier at the age of 8. In 2019 graduated from the Master of Journalism program at Carleton University.
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