Little Current Lions’ Catch the Ace benefits MHC infusion pump campaign

Michael Erskine

September 10, 2025

Little Current Lions’ Catch the Ace benefits MHC infusion pump campaign — The Little Current Lions Club made an impressive $25,000 donation from its Catch the Ace progressive raffle to the Manitoulin Health Centre (MHC) Auxiliary last week, which in turn went straight to the MHC Smart Infusion-Smarter Care infusion pump campaign. Lion President Bruce Burnett, fifth from right, with fellow Lions Dave Draper and Jake McColman, presents the cheque to Marilee Hore, in pink, Auxiliary president and fellow auxiliary members. The group is joined by MHC CEO Paula Fields and MHC board chair Dennis McGregor, far right. photo by Michael Erskine

LITTLE CURRENT—The Little Current Lions Club has enjoyed great success with its popular Catch the Ace lottery, but the real winners are the Manitoulin community that is the focus of their motto “We Serve.”

This past week, the club handed over a cheque for a whopping $25,000 to the Manitoulin Health Centre Auxiliary Little Current.

“This money comes from the Little Current Lions Club and the thousands of people who buy tickets every week,” said Lion President Bruce Burnett. “We couldn’t do this without them.”

Just moments following the Lions donation to the Auxiliary, the Auxiliary donated the funds to the Manitoulin Health Centre. photo by Michael Erskine

The auxiliary wasted no time in spending their windfall, however, as moments later another cheque presentation took place, this time from the auxiliary to the Manitoulin Health Centre (MHC) Smart Infusion-Smarter Care Pump fundraising campaign for its two Manitoulin hospital locations. It was a case of in one hand and out the other—but all in a good cause.

MHC CEO Paula Fields said that the donation would go a long way toward meeting the goal of the infusion campaign. “That and the Tour de Meldrum will bring us close to the top,” she said. “Paula (Ferguson) and I are biking in it next Sunday.” In the past the run had raised over $10,000.

“So, hopefully, we will meet our goal by the end of September,” she said. Ms. Fields noted that Lavish Your Independent Grocer in Little Current is still conducting a checkout campaign. “It has proved to be very helpful. So, fantastic! This is great! Thank you for thinking of us.”

Ms. Fields noted that the hospital has a few of their team that “circulate the hallways and sell the tickets,” so they are also part of the fundraising effort.

MHC’s Smart Infusion, Smarter Care campaign aims to equip both the Little Current and Mindemoya hospital sites with state-of-the-art smart infusion technology.

“These advanced systems are critical for the accurate and safe delivery of medications to the over 13,000 residents and visitors we serve,” noted Ms. Fields.

The advantage of using smart pumps is that they decrease errors like incorrect rates and doses of medications. Minimizing medical errors is one of the most sought-after goals for modern healthcare organizations.