Last Saturday, the long-awaited dialysis unit at the Shawville Hospital got its world premiere.
The project has been ongoing since the fundraising started in October of 2007.
The community raised more than $650,000 for the project – accounting for more than one third of the cost.
With a population of about 20,000 between the MRC Pontiac and the Municipality of Pontiac, that averages out to around $30 for every man, woman and child in the Pontiac.
Not bad for a region that we’re often reminded is one of the poorest in Quebec.
One of the most astonishing facts about the community’s fundraising efforts is that it only took four years to raise such a staggering amount.
In an article in THE EQUITY on Feb. 2, 2012, the headline beamed: Goal Reached! The community came up with more than half a million dollars in just over four years.
That same article says that hospital staff expected the new unit to be set up at some point in 2013.
It’s especially impressive that a region that has struggled economically like the Pontiac can raise the money faster than the provincial government. It says a lot about the drive of the community.
Fast forward to last week, and the dialysis unit was finally in its rightful home.
It’s an especially welcome service for many in the Pontiac. Before it was operational, those who required dialysis treatment had to travel to Gatineau at least three times per week – an exhausting trip to say the least.
It raises the question, how are small communities like this one able to raise such massive sums of money?
A study released earlier this year looked at life satisfaction according to region.
It found that folks who live in small towns are generally happier than their urban counterparts.
The researchers said that there are several reasons for this, including: Shorter commute times, they spend less on housing, they’re more likely to have lived in the same place for more than five years and they are more likely to feel a sense of belonging.
That last one is key.
Any time there is a tragedy in the region, people come out of the woodwork to make sure those affected have everything they need. Look no further than the recent tornado or the response after a house fire.
People here care about their fellow neighbours.
It’s quite the contrast with the recent maelstrom in Ottawa over someone calling bylaw on a neighbour who had the audacity to erect a hockey rink in their yard.
Not to mention the fact that – especially for someone who didn’t grow up here like myself – it seems like everybody knows everybody else.
With those kinds of connections throughout the community, it becomes clear that those who chipped in for the dialysis unit weren’t just doing it to feel good about themselves.
They put their money where their mouths were in order to help fellow members of their community.
And – appropriately enough – at the Christmas season, is there any better example of that than the brand new dialysis unit?
Chris Lowrey
