Bingo! Co-operators and Meridian co-present hospital fundraising gala for tenth consecutive year
GUELPH – Regional business leaders Co-operators and Meridian Credit Union have recently announced that they will return as Co-Presenting Sponsors of The Foundation of Guelph General Hospital’s Black Tie Bingo fundraising gala to be held on March 2, 2024.
This will mark their tenth consecutive year joining forces to support healthcare in Guelph-Wellington through their partnership with the Foundation. Black Tie Bingo is one of Guelph’s premier philanthropic events, combining a black-tie dinner with live bingo for the last 27 years.
“The generous sponsorship and long-standing support by Co-operators and Meridian Credit Union is a testament to their commitment to investing in the communities where they do business. The funds provided by their sponsorship will help transform healthcare at Guelph General,” remarked Julie Byczynski, CEO, The Foundation of Guelph General Hospital.
Specifically in 2024, money raised through Black Tie Bingo will help support women’s health at Guelph General by funding the hospital’s identified patient care equipment priorities within Obstetrics & Gynecology, Diagnostic Imaging and Family Birthing, enhancing patient care for mothers, daughters, sisters, partners and friends in Guelph-Wellington region.
“Co-operators is committed to working with partners like Guelph General Hospital to help build strong, resilient communities, and to actively support the health and well-being of the people living within them, and in fact it’s so important to us that we’ve decided to extend our agreement through to 2026,” said Karen Higgins, Executive Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer at Co-operators. “I’m particularly delighted that the 2024 Black Tie Bingo fundraising efforts will go towards addressing the unique medical risks of women in our community and helping to improve the level of care and treatment available to them locally.”
To date, Black Tie Bingo has raised over $4.5 million in net fundraising revenue to purchase essential patient care equipment for Guelph General Hospital – from surgical equipment to IV pumps to specialized ICU patient beds, and even helping to fund the hospital’s first MRI scanner in 2007 and the new MRI scanner that replaced it earlier this month.
Aditya Vasudev, Regional Vice President, Business Banking at Meridian Credit Union commented, “Meridian Credit Union is honored to be a co-presenting sponsor of Black Tie Bingo for the tenth year running. This partnership reflects Meridian’s commitment to all the communities that we are a member of. Supporting the Healthcare sector is an important part of ‘Meridian For Good,’ our new corporate strategy which is focused on delivering on our purpose of ‘helping you achieve your best life.’ We are thrilled to continue supporting the Hospital in the remarkable work they do for the health and well-being of people in the region and to support their focus on women’s health this year.”
Planning of the 28th annual Black Tie Bingo is well underway, led by returning Co-chairs, Lynda Murray and Juliette Zhang, and supported by the volunteer BTB Ambassador team. Tickets will be on sale December 5th at BlackTieBingo.com. Those interested in sponsoring, donating auction prizes or attending are encouraged to inquire by email to The Foundation of GGH at [email protected].
