Christine Whelan, FEO, March 6, 2025, VOL. 6 ISSUE 13
The Ridgeway Lions Club has achieved its goal of raising $225,000 towards the development of a courtyard for the new hospice building coming to Fort Erie.
Hospice Niagara in Fort Erie, opening in 2026, will be a stand-alone building located next to the new Gilmore Lodge on the site of the former Town and Country Mall. The Niagara Region donated the space.
The partnership began when members of Hospice Niagara presented at a bi-monthly meeting of the Ridgeway Lions in 2023.
The Club was drawn to the idea of helping to create a space outdoors for visiting and took on the fundraising project.
To raise the committed amount of $225,000 the plan was created in two parts. They split the amount in half. For the first half, Fundraiser Chairperson, Ron Brunner, applied for a matching grant from the Lions Club International Foundation (LCIF).
“This took me about a year.” Brunner described the lengthy process involving all the information that had to be gathered.
Carol Nagy, Executive Director of Hospice Niagara was a great help. “Without her, we wouldn’t have gotten the matching funds.” Ron thanks her for all the time and effort she put into the preparations.
“We got the email at the end of January this year congratulating us on our application being accepted for the matching grant for the Hospice Niagara courtyard.”
The application was being prepared, the fundraising committee also set out on a mission in July of 2023 to achieve the second part of their plan, to raise the amount the grant was to match, $112,500.
“We had five years to raise our half of the targeted amount. That was our obligation.”
It took them a year and a half to raise it. “We raised our portion by October or November of last year.”
They were able to pull this off, Ron explained, because of the generosity of the community. Adding thankfully, “The community is always there to support us.”
Brunner began to list, “The District A-2 Lions Clubs donated generously. Between certain clubs in the district, they donated $18, 500.
“Back in September of 2023, I was given a personal donation from Shirley Plato of $10,000. She was the first of private donations.”
Ron shared that Casey Bruyns passed away last year. He was on Ron’s committee for this fundraiser. “In memory of Lion Casey Bruyns, $4,500 was donated.” Upon Casey’s passing, his wife, Ruth, wanted this money to go towards the fundraiser.
“We raised money through our community with our Christmas tree sales and Christmas cake sales.” He added that the Club didn’t do the trees this past year since they had the money raised by the last Christmas season.
“We also raised money through the Bingos that we do, the annual pancake breakfast during the Ridgefest, the annual golf tournament, the SouthCoast DreamDrive, donations from the Crystal Ridge Community Centre, the 50/50 draws at our pasta dinners, and dinners that our Lions Club food committee cooks for different organizations.
“This is how we were able to raise this money pretty quickly.” Adding with continued gratitude, “The community is the sole support of everything we do.”
About Hospice Niagara
The new Fort Erie building is one of two locations coming to the Niagara Region. The other will be in Welland. Including the existing St. Catharines location, all three will be available for residents of the Niagara Region, depending on the availability of a bed at the time of need.
“There will be ten beds in every hospice location,” Brunner explained.
“The development is planned to start in early spring.” He says, according to Carol Nagy, the building should be done in a year.
The Courtyard: Planning for Outdoor Time
The courtyard is going to be an outdoor space where families and patients will spend a lot of time together.
Since living through the days of the pandemic when there were so many challenges and restrictions for families to see loved ones, adjustments are being made. Every suite is going to have a patio so everybody will be able to go outside.
Ridgeway Lions in the Community
The Ridgeway Lions Club has been serving the Greater Fort Erie community since 1931. 100% of the money raised by the organization and donated by the public goes back to the community.
The Club, located at the Crystal Ridge Community Centre (CRCC), 99 Ridge Road N., hosts pasta dinners every third Thursday of the month between September and June. In the summer months, they hold their golf tournaments and their Ridgefest pancake breakfasts.
They host Christmas dinners, provide dinners for Therapy Alternatives for Special Children and Adults (TASC) Niagara when their annual plays are performed at the CRCC, “That’s a four-night, two-weekend event in the spring now.”
What comes in, then goes out.
Beyond large projects such as the Hospice Courtyard project, the Ridgeway Lions Club donates to a list of organizations annually. To review the list, go to the Club’s website: www.ridgewaylionsclub.org
Ron says the Club is also looking for new members. “We are always looking.” To look into becoming a Ridgeway Lions Club member, email: membership@ridgewaylionsclub.org
Photos provided by Ron Brunner
