Spring Fling is in the air

The Northern Lights Health Foundation (NLHF) is welcoming the new season with its 32nd annual Spring Fling fundraiser at the Shell Place on March 16.

The Foundation hosts the Spring Fling each year to raise funding for programs and services at the Northern Lights Regional Health Centre, which evaluates to an average range of $100,000 to $196,000 (net) per event.

“The Spring Fling raises money for the Northern Lights Health Foundation to fund healthcare innovation in Wood Buffalo. We will be asking our guests to support us in our fundraising efforts to raise enough money for a new piece of equipment for the spinal surgery program.,” said Jessica Lipton, Events Manager of the NLHF.

The new piece of equipment is called the “Jackson Table” and named after Dr. Roger Jackson, an orthopedic spine surgeon in the US. It was patent in 1992 to help surgeons position patients undergoing spinal procedures. The cost of this unique operating table is over $155,000.

“The Jackson Table is not the only item we’re fundraising, but it will be the focus of the ‘fund-a-need’ portion of the event,” Lipton explained. “Our spinal surgeon will be at the event to speak about the Jackson Table and the benefits of it.”

Orthopedic and Spinal Surgeon Dr. Andrei Manolescu has been the driving force behind the program at the local health centre, which the Foundation said has been highly successful.

This year’s Spring Fling is themed to enjoy an evening in Paris with French cuisine, as well as a silent and live auction, which will also include a trip for two to the “City of Lights.”

“We have an amazing French-inspired buffet dinner for guest to enjoy, a beautiful spread of silent auction items from local retailers, Diamond and Love Lock raffles and a live auction,” said Lipton.

“Last year, we had a horse race with local celebrity jockeys to drive our fund-a-need fundraising efforts. We’ve reinvented the fundraising portion this year for our guests. We’re keeping that under-wraps for now!”

A Touch of Class will be adding to the event’s ambience with its sounds of light Jazz and Latin. The group is an ensemble of local musicians including Dan Gillies, Bill McCrone, Jeffrey Jones and Michael Durocher.

The Foundation has been utilizing Shell Place for its annual Spring Fling since the grand ballroom opened its doors in 2015. The NLHF were also the first to host an event inside the venue.

Tickets are still available at $250 per person. All of the proceeds support health care innovation for the Wood Buffalo region. Click here to purchase tickets and to learn more about the Northern Lights Health Foundation and its current needs, visit www.northernlightshealthfoundation.ca.

About the author

Dawn Booth

Editor-in-Chief at YMM Parent | dawn@balsom.ca

Dawn Booth is the Editor-in-Chief of YMM Parent Magazine and Your McMurray Magazine. She has actively worked in the Wood Buffalo region's media industry since residing in Fort McMurray in 2007.

Her passion is writing poetry and puts it at the forefront of the community through her volunteer work as the President of NorthWord Magazine. Most important, Booth puts her family of five first, which includes her husband Ryan and their three children, Landon, Dawson and Tessa.