In 2019 the Friends of the Red Deer Regional Hospital are hoping to deal with a problem that’s been plaguing the organization pretty much from the beginning.  Due to the nature of what they do, the “Friends” tend to fly way below the radar.  While the Foundation raises millions for critical services, the Friends offer a different type of support… raising smaller amounts of money for medical furniture, fixtures, comfort equipment and even personal grooming items.

The Friends of the Red Deer Regional Hospital kind of fill in the gaps.  Items the group purchase have a cost cap of $4,999.00 and that’s a major reason most Central Albertans don’t know too much about the organization.  Although these comfort items tend to be smaller and less “news worthy” than critical equipment purchases, there’s no doubt they contribute immensely to the way Central Albertans experience their hospital.

This lack of recognition is something the Sheraton Celebrity Dance Off is pretty good at helping with.  With dozens of celebrity dancer / fundraisers, Dance Off has helped bring attention to important groups like Red Deer Hospice, Aspire, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Red Deer.  Every year the celebrities do an amazing job not only raising money, but also raising the profile of the charity partner.   Dance Off Chair Christine Moore always finds at least one or two celebrities with a special connection to the charity partner.  This year one of those special people is Vanessa Higgins-Nogareda.  Vanessa has worked as a nurse at Red Deer Regional for 15 years.  See this video profile to learn about Vanessa’s very special understanding of the role played by the Friends of the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre.