A few local organizations were the recipients of donations from a business celebrating a milestone anniversary.
Dowler-Karn turned 75 Thursday and wanted to celebrate by giving funds to the communities it operates in. The Chatham branch chose nine groups to split $24,250, with just under half going to the Chatham-Kent Hospice.
Jodi Maroney, executive director of the hospice, said the facility relies on donations and the $10,000 they received Thursday will go a long way.
"We couldn't do it without community support," Maroney said. "We have to fundraise for all of our operating costs, so anything aside from direct medical care costs we rely on donations."
Those costs include meals, groceries and utilities according to Maroney. She added the hospice has the same expenses as someone would pay for at their house.
The Kenesserie Camp in Ridgetown was the recipient of a $5,000 donation, which was perfect timing according to Co-Executive Director Dan Richards.
"We encountered some serious septic issues this summer and realized we had to replace the whole system that serves our main washroom house," Richards said. "We know it is going to be in excess of the $25,000 and that's a fairly large expenditure for a camp our size."
Richard said it isn't always attractive for organizations to donate money that won't be seen, but the infrastructure is key to keep the camp moving forward. For those who aren't familiar with Kenesserie, it serves kids from five-years-old up to 15 over the summer months and provides a week of overnight camping along with activities. Richards said the current tank has just been used as a holding container which needed to get pumped.
Dan Kelly, the chief financial officer with Dowler-Karn, said giving back to the area is important to the company.
"We've been operating in communities for 75 years now," Kelly said. "We've been very successful, but we've been successful because of the communities we operate in. Our employees live in the communities we operate in and we feel it's important to support those communities."
Kent Havoc Rugby Club, Foundation of Chatham-Kent Health Alliance, Ck Cyber Pak, Chatham-Kent 4 H, Meals on Wheels, Chatham-Kent Treatment Centre Foundation, and Webb Cultural Community Centre were the other recipients.
