Acton takes some big Steps towards North Halton hospice.
Last Saturday, May 7, members of the community went the distance to help raise money to build a hospice in the North Halton area.
The Townsend Smith Foundation’s Hike for Hospice attracted over 80 participants, with 30 of those participating in Acton, the other portion participating in Milton. Members from the community laced up their shoes, and walked just over 5km to raise money for the new facility.
According to the Townsend Smith website, the new facility which will be located on Trafalgar Road, seeks to have:
Ten private rooms for residents
Each private room has the ability to accommodate overnight guests
Family room or visiting room
Serene outdoor areas
Kitchen and dining facilities
Specialized shower and bathing facilities
Children’s play area
Organizer of the Acton event, Bev Mattocks tells Acton UP “we raised over $5000”.
Among those participating was Pam Mulhall, Board Treasurer for the Townsend Smith Foundation. Pam tells Acton UP she is “ pleased to be here as part of the Acton group who is supporting the hike for hospice, it is a very much needed facility here and throughout North Halton. I’m pleased to be here and have everyones participation today.”
Also at the event was Regional Councillor, Clark Somerville, who expressed the importance of the foundation in finally securing land for the hospice. Clark tells Acton UP,
“The need for a Hospice in North Halton has been identified for a number of years, and Townsend Smith Foundation who has been such a tremendous organization, has been advocating for it and now they finally have a location, which is in Halton Hills, and it is thanks to volunteers like Bev Mattocks who’ve been forefront and tireless in helping to raise awareness and fundraise and everything for it, it’s beginning to be more a reality. So people need to stay tuned, they will hear more about it, and let’s hope everyone can generously donate to make it a reality.”
Organizer Bev Mattocks wanted to give thanks to sponsors, “ I wanted to mention some of the people that had sponsored us, people have sponsored anywhere from $10, to $250. Dr Chan, my dentist in town, I sent him an email that if he gave me $50 I’d be thrilled and within an hour I had sponsorship of $250. We’ve had so many this year, and I thought if I’d be silly and set a goal of $5000 it would just spark interest.” Bev says “My job, and the job of everyone walking today is to help make people in Acton aware of the need for a hospice and we are going to get it, and finally, having that land is just going to help us grow so fast. I’m just really proud to help represent this committee and the Townsend Smith foundation. Thank you to everybody who sponsored us”.
Bev reiterates what was once on an old a pamphlet about the project, “a Hospice is not about curing, but about caring.”
To find out more about the Hike for Hospice or the Townsend Smith Foundation, visit https://www.townsend-smith.ca .
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