Heather Wright/The Independent

Fundraisers in Lambton are working harder than ever to raise the cash they need with six million-dollar-plus campaigns
underway. And, they say, it is getting harder with the competition and the concerns about the economy.

Non-profit groups constantly fundraise to support their operations. Lambton County Developmental Services, for example, runs several large events each year to help meet the organizations budget, with its biggest, Fusion, coming up in a matter of weeks.

But beyond the raffles, lotteries and 50/50s in the community, there are now six major fundraisers vying for donor dollars.

Bluewater Health is the latest organization to announce a major fundraising campaign. It needs to raise about $3 million for the re-development of Charlotte Eleanor Englehart Hospital in Petrolia.

That’s doesn’t include the $2 million which has already been raised for the project.

Also in the million-dollar-fundraising hunt is the County of Lambton. This year it has launched two campaigns. The county wants to raise $1.5 million to complete the new small house development at Lambton Meadowview Villa.

Lambton’s cultural division plans to raise $3.5 million to renovate the Sarnia Library to incorporate the new Stones ‘N Bones museum.

St. Joseph’s Hospice is raising $750,000 to set up three hospice beds at Lambton Meadowview Villa. It will also need to raise $340,000 in the community to operate each year.

That’s on top of the $1.3 million it raises each year to operate the 10 hospice beds in Sarnia.

The United Way of Sarnia Lambton is in the middle of its yearly campaign for smaller non-profits providing services in the community. It hopes to raise $1.5 million.

And Victoria Playhouse Petrolia is raising $3.7 million to provide two elevators and multiple washrooms at Victoria Hall.

Campaigns like the VPP’s seem to be doing well. Laurissa Ellsworth, director of marketing, arts and communication with the Town of Petrolia says $2.7 million has already been raised for the elevator project.

“I think the main reason for that is most of our support is coming directly from patrons that have been sharing their support with us since last year,” she says in an email to The Independent. “It will be interesting to see if that shifts toward other projects in the area given their importance also.”

At St. Joseph’s Hospice, Executive Director Kelly Chartrand says fundraising is key to running the beds they have now and the three new hospice beds coming to Meadowview. And while families who have used the hospice are generous donors, Chartrand says it is hard to meet their goals each year. She likens it to a family budgeting for the year hoping they’ll win the lottery.

“Sarnia-Lambton is very philanthropic and very giving, but we do recognise there’s a large number of not-for-profits in the community, and everybody is looking for donations to be able to sustain their operations. We’re no different. There certainly is pressures.”

Pam Bodkin, executive director of the United Way, agrees. United Way gets the majority of its donations through traditional workplace campaigns where, in the past, donating was “ingrained in them to give off their pay.”

New and younger employees need to be educated about the United Way to see the value in giving, which take more time and money, she adds.

“Our struggle is now that those workplaces are shrinking in numbers, we’re having to find new ways to raise those additional funds required. Therefore, that part of it does get difficult for us because there’s so many more people out there asking.”