by Adam Gault
Rotary Clubs from across Essex County came together last Friday evening to host the annual fish fry at the Roma Club Pavilion in Leamington in support of the Erie Shore Hospice. The event complemented the Hogs for Hospice motorcycle fundraising weekend, which took place just a few short blocks away.
“We’re expecting to serve about 450 tonight, our community supports it every year,” Rotary Club of Essex member and event coordinator, Julie Ricci, said. “But because of the Hogs for Hospice event, we’re getting more people from out-of-town coming in for it.”
Now in its fifth year, the annual fish fry first brought together Rotary Clubs from Essex, Harrow, Leamington, Cottam, and Amherstburg to support funding for the planning and development of the Erie Shores Hospice, which opened its doors in 2016. Now, it continues to support the facility with equipment and general upkeep costs.
The area Rotary clubs had committed to raising $50,000 for the hospice over the course of five years, but managed to reach that goal within the first four.
“Over the years, we’ve even lost a few Rotarians and friends and family that have actually been in the new hospice facility here at Erie Shores,” Ricci said. “It just really made us feel that we’re supporting something important in the community.”
Guests enjoyed a Lake Erie yellow perch fish dinner in support of the Rotary Club’s hospice fundraising efforts. Additionally, several raffles were held throughout the course of the meal, including the opportunity to win tickets for that evening’s Cheap Trick concert at the nearby Hogs for Hospice event.
“Now that I see this [hospice] facility, and know what it stands for, I wanted to see other people have the opportunity to be at their end of life with dignity and just surrounded in a very peaceful, wonderful setting,” Ricci explained of Rotary’s continued support of the Erie Shores Hospice. “It’s just a great weekend, it’s for hospice, it just seemed to us that it’s a no-brainer. We wanted to have this event and knew that it would be great timing for it.”
For more information on the Erie Shores Hospice, visit hospice.ca