Final 30-Hour Telethon for Palliative Care in Brockville, Ont. raises $474,000

A major telethon this weekend to support palliative care services at the Brockville General Hospital has raised $474,000.

After four decades, this was the final year for the telethon. 

Brockville's Bruce Wylie, a co-chair for the event, kicked of the radiothon Saturday morning on Move 104.9, welcoming various guests throughout the day. (Disclosure: Move 104.9 is a Bell Media radio station. Bell Media is the parent company of CTV News.)

"Palliative care, when it started back in the late 70s, I don't think anybody knew what it was, and slowly each year there are people who experience some of their loved ones dying on that service," Wylie said.

"My mom passed away two years ago and I had a chance first hand to see what this team does and how important it is," he added. "Dying with dignity, that's been the theme for 40 years, and it's the theme today, to allow people to die with dignity."

A group of local realtors stopped by the station to donate, including Jodi Wallace, of Homelife DLK, Debra Lynn Currier of Royal Lepage, and Mary Ann Keary of the Keary Team.

Bruce Wylie of Move 104.9 FM in Brockville hosts a radiothon Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023, for the final 30-Hour Telethon for Palliative Care in Brockville, Ont. (Nate Vandermeer/CTV News Ottawa)

"We're donating $1,000 to this worthy cause today and I know someday I may need it," Keary told Wylie on air.

Brockville General Hospital (BGH) president and CEO Nick Vlacholias was also on hand to discuss the importance of end-of-life care, which costs $750,000 a year to operate.

"We do have an aging demographic in this area and it is a very important program and we are going to see more and more use of the program," Vlacholias said.

"(It's) a well know program and it touches everybody's lives," he added. "You hear the stories of not only it helps the families, but it helps the community and it helps the patients."

Vlacholias noted the palliative care service at BGH has different components, including the 10-bed inpatient program funded by the province, and the outreach program, toward which this fundraiser goes.

"They help coordinate the care for palliative care in the community and that's where it touches lots of families across Leeds and Grenville," Vlacholias said.

Live music and entertainment ran throughout the day at the Brockville Arts Centre, and will continue on Sunday.

It is free of charge to attend, with dancers and various musical acts performing.

"We are accepting donations as people are coming in off the street and listening to some of the entertainment," said co-chair Wayne Blackwell.

An artist performing at the Brockville Arts Centre. (Nate Vandermeer/CTV News Ottawa)

"It's the contributions that this community has put together, the businesses, the people, the individuals, the five cents, 10 cents, you know up to hundreds of thousands of dollars," Blackwell noted.

"This community, for the population, if you expanded that to other cities like Ottawa or Toronto for example the numbers would blow them out. If we are just fortunate to hit $300,000 this year or $400,000 for a population of just over 20,000 people, that shows the support that this community has and we can only appreciate that," he said.

The Brockville Shrine Club was also on hand at the Arts Centre, making cold calls to ask people to donate.

This year's telethon will also mark the final one. In the previous 39 years, it has raised more than $4.6 million dollars.

"I think it's time," Wylie said. "The hospital has a foundation, that's the fundraising wing of the hospital, and we'll turn it over to them and I know they'll do a great job."

And while Wylie says there is no goal to achieve, one number does stick out.

"People always ask that what's your goal? Well our goal is getting $1 and then from $1, $2, and from $2 to $100 to $1,000," Wylie said.

"$5 million is just kind of really that close, and I don't know if we can hit $400,000 this year, we did $325,000 last year, $400,000 is a big, big, number to hit but with people's help maybe we can," he added.

The community surpassed that $400,000 goal by the telethon's end at 6 p.m. Sunday, raising more than $474,707, pushing the 40-year total past $5 million.

"I think people are going to want to be there for that last hour because it's going to be pretty emotional as we wind things up," Wylie said. "We've got some huge donations that I understand that are coming in that last hour so I'm pretty hopeful that we will have a great, great, great, great telethon."

Online donations can also be made through the telethon's website.