20th Antique and Collectibles Fair at the Roll-A-Dome. Photos 250 News

Prince George, B.C. – The Prince George Hospice Society’s 20^th Antique and Collectibles Fair continues today at the Roll-A-Dome.

The annual fair serves as one piece of the society’s fundraising program for the year.  Hospice Executive Director Donna Flood says “there are two reasons we like to do it.  One is because it’s a major fundraiser for us and Hospice, as you know, we’re only funded 42% from the government and the rest we have to raise ourself.  So out of a $2 million budget that’s quite a lot of money that we need to raise, so this is really important to us.”

“And secondly, it raises the awareness of Hospice.  That’s really important to us, that people know who we are, that we’re there, we’re community support and we’re there when you need us.”

Flood says the big fundraisers are the Hospice House Lottery and the re-sale store on McGill Crescent “and then there’s our “In Memory” and our donations.  This (fair) is a smaller fundraiser but its very important because it’s something the community expects every year and they like to come to, and it supports our antique vendors.  So, in a way its our way of giving back to the community, giving them the venue in order to sell but also inviting people in.”

Flood says the fair provides funds to Hospice in a couple of ways.  “The vendors all rent a table and we get the admission fees.  We also have to cover the cost of the Roll-A-Dome itself and our security, but its also hugely supported by our volunteers.  Hospice really relies a lot on our volunteers being able to help us.  We couldn’t do this without the help of the volunteers.”  Twenty-five volunteers gave up their weekend to work on the two-day event.

(l-r) Hospice Executive Director Donna Flood, Founding member Gayle Magrath, Administrative Assistant Donna Harned. Photo 250News

The executive director notes that it was “back in 1983 when Gayle (Magrath) sat there with a group thinking wouldn’t it be nice if we could have a hospice and look at us in 2016, with Prince George having had the very first free-standing hospice in B.C., having the ability to support ten beds and 1800 people last year were supported through Hospice.  So it’s amazing what’s happened since 1983.”

Much as the baby boom generation has been at the door of change in more ways than perhaps any other generation, be it in consumer targeting and marketing, social trending, housing, transportation, in effect being used as human guinea pigs, so, too will the generation hit the top of the charts in terms of volume when it comes to the desire for quality of death services such as those provided by facilities offering palliative care.

Flood says “I call it the silver tsunami is coming through and we have to be prepared.  So we’ve now implemented electronic records and it allows us to actually look and see what is the work we’re doing and also forecast what is it we’re going to need?  Hospice is in a situation at the moment where we’re trying to realize, what is it that we need next, what does the community need in order to meet the needs of end-of-life care?”

“Whether people actually want to die at home, which is great, and what can hospice do to support them, or do we need to look at increasing hospice care beds or better support to the community in our acute care sites in helping them understand palliative care differently.  So there’s a lot of work that we’ve got to do in the next couple of years to really understand what the community wants.”

Flood says “one of the things to note is that hospice is directly linked to what the community wants.  We’re not being directed or dictated by the government, it is what the community of Prince George wants, and that’s what we are mandated to deliver.”

Flood thanks the community members who come out to support hospice and the 35 to 40 antique and collectibles vendors and adds “I again want to appreciate all of the volunteers who have come out, it’s really key to what we do.”

The Antique and Collectibles Fair runs again today from 10 am to 4 pm at the Roll-A-Dome.