ELORA – The Grand Taste event on April 28 in the Lighthouse Restaurant at the Grand River Raceway offered a feast of flavour, with samples of the cuisine offered by local chefs and business owners.
Grand Taste of the Culinary Arts, a major fundraiser for the Rotary Club of Centre Wellington, annually supports Groves Memorial Community Hospital.
MC Barb Evoy welcomed everyone to the 14th annual event, noting, “The Centre Wellington Rotary Club has donated over $203,000 in the past 14 years.
“That is an incredible feat.”
Rotary president Lisa McDonald thanked everyone for attending and said “there are several new restaurants on board.”
She said supporting the hospital “is something everyone is really passionate about. … We’ve been doing this for the past 14 years and have watched the changes in the hospital’s journey.”
Groves CEO Stephen Street spoke of local vendors bringing their “creative flair” to the event over the last 14 years, which he called “an amazing legacy of support for the hospital.”
He added, “On behalf of the hospital board of governors and staff, I wanted to thank everyone who has come today.”
Street said, “it’s been a pretty busy winter” for construction of the new hospital.
“It is a full-shelled waterproof building right now. There are up to 200 tradespeople on site today/this week finishing out drywall, flooring, painting and installing new equipment,” he said.
“In fact, staff received over $7 million worth of equipment recently with another $3 million to go.
“Spring is now here and you will soon see some site work such as landscaping and paving.”
Street stressed, “we are still on track to see the hospital substantially complete by November/December this year.”
He anticipates moving in by next spring.
