Heather Wright/The Independent

The volunteers who raise money for Charlotte Eleanor Englehart Hospital will be getting more help from fundraising professionals.

The CEEH Foundation is merging with the Bluewater Health Foundation April 1. The CEEH Foundation is volunteer run where the Bluewater Foundation, based in Sarnia, has a team of paid staff to raise money for health care needs.

Mark Braet, chair of the CEEH board, says the merger of the two foundations makes sense as the regulations around charties have increased over the years.

“It’s really challenging for volunteers to take care of so much when we have professionals that are there to do it every day,” Braet tells The Independent.

The Revenue Canada yearly audit in particular took a lot of work. “The questions that are being asked are unbelievable for volunteers to understand, to make sure that you’re in line with rules and regulations. And we had to keep turning to Bluewater Health for help just to to our our annual audit,” Braet said. “We just thought, holy smokes, this is not good for volunteers to have to take care of. It’s just too big, and it’s more for the professionals to do that.”

Braet added over the last few years, the Bluewater Health and CEEH Foundation have worked together on fundraisers such as the Dream Home Lottery and the Petrolia hospital’s golf tournament.

As the CEEH Foundation works towards raising over $3 million for the renovation of the Petrolia hospital, Braet says it will be good to have volunteers refocused on approaching their neighbours “opening the door” for the professionals at the Bluewater Health Foundation to make the pitch and do all the paperwork involved in larger donations.

There will still be representation from Petrolia and Central Lambton on the Bluewater Health Foundation. Braet says currently the CEEH Foundation has five directors. He expects at least three people from the Petrolia area will take a seat around the Bluewater Health Foundation board table. And he says, there will be a Rural Health Care Committee for fundraising.

Braet says members of the community will be able to direct their donations to CEEH needs. “Instead of the cheque going directly to the CEEH Foundation, the cheque would be written to the Bluewater Health Foundation, care of Rural Health or CEEH; it’s as simple as that.”