The Spring Fling fundraising event held by the Northern Lights Regional Health centre has helped to raise $175,000 for local healthcare needs. The Shell Place Ballroom was the venue for the Spring Fling event, and the fundraiser was one of the first events to be held at the recently finished structure. The theme of the Fort MacMurray event was Victorian, and a number of gentlemen managed to find a top hat to wear for the occasion while the ladies donned their finest Victorian era gowns and accessories. The fundraising aspect took many avenues, with valet parking, a live auction, a silent auction, and a live donation challenge. Both auctions together raised $63,000, and the challenge raised another $19,000 and was initiated by a $5,500 donation from Markaz Ul Islam.

The Spring Fling fundraising efforts will provide a significant amount of support for the Northern Lights Health Foundation, which aims to improve healthcare in the area. The goal that the foundation set for the Spring Fling fundraising efforts was a Pulse Oximeter that will be used to monitor the blood oxygen and pulse levels of a patient. According to the executive director of the NLHF, Susanne Chaffey, “In light of the current economic conditions, we were overwhelmed with the number of companies and individuals who chose to invest in local health care through the event. We took extra measures to control expenses for the event to ensure a greater return on our investment — resulting in more impact on health services and programming.”