BOWLING: Annual event raises more than $5,000 for dialysis

The Daily Observer

Annual event raises more than $5,000 for dialysis

Posted By TINA PEPLINSKIE TPEPLINSKIE@THEDAILYOBSERVER.CA
Updated 18 hours ago

A Campbell's Bay woman is doing her part to ensure people from the Pontiac don't have to travel to Hull for dialysis treatments.

For the third year, Jennifer Desjardins has organized Bowling for Dialysis, with all of the proceeds going towards an effort to build a five-bed dialysis unit at the Pontiac Community Hospital in Shawville.

Through various fundraising initiatives, the community has helped to raise about $400,000 towards the $660,000 goal, Ms. Desjardins noted prior to the event, held at Valley Bowl in Petawawa recently.

Dialysis is an issue close to her heart as a double kidney transplant patient who was on dialysis twice. She had to travel to Hull for her treatments, which required a full day between travel and the actual dialysis procedure. Bowling for Diabetes raised more than $5,000, which was matched dollar for dollar by Scotiabank, where Ms. Desjardins is an employee at the Pembroke branch.

With the matching dollars, the event raised more than $10,000 and Scotiabank also made a $1,000 to the Pontiac Community Hospital Foundation in Ms. Desjardins' name. Since she first organized the event, about 10 employees from the bank have taken part in the bowling event.

Ms. Desjardins is one of four employees at the Pembroke branch who reside in the Pontiac. One lives in Bristol while two others live in Chapeau.

Employees from Scotiabank branches in Petawawa, Cobden and Chapeau have also been supportive of the cause, she noted.

"The support from my co-workers has been amazing," Ms. Desjardins said.

Other family and friends also hit the bowling lanes for the cause.

She enjoys mixing the participants between family, friends and co-workers and listening as they discuss why they are taking part. Kerry Rebertz took first place with the highest score, followed by Gaetanne Mousseau and Linda Amyotte Angus.

Tina Peplinskie is a Daily Observer reporter

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