BARRIE, ONT. -- Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre's (RVH) auxiliary, fondly known as The Blue Brigade, can't venture inside the Barrie hospital because of COVID-19 restrictions, but that hasn't stopped the volunteers from working hard behind the scenes.
The volunteers are operating a community 50/50 draw, which started in the fall to help support the hospital's tiniest patients in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), which needs a significant expansion.
The 50/50 draw is the latest fundraising effort by The Blue Brigades to raise $5 million for the NICU.
"The auxiliary has been raising money since the 1800s," said Lise McCourt, RVH Auxiliary president. "In 1896, they raised their first $1,000 for the original hospital, and now we're into the million-dollar pledges, which is really exciting."
The next 50/50 draw is April 22. The deadline to enter is 11:59 pm on April 21.
There are three early bird draws for cash and gift card prizes from local sponsors on April 8.
