Over the last six months, local non-profit The Betty Riel Foundation has funded 346 trips to the city for cancer patients seeking treatment—an effort that cost the charity a cool $21,465.
While the organization hosts a number of fundraisers throughout the year, the longest standing event, The Betty Riel Walk-A-Thon, was held on Saturday, October 1st. A little over 60 locals made it to Huntingdon to walk the town, kicking off the heartfelt event at the Prince-Arthur Park. Most notable was the amount raised—making for a donation of approximately $3,000. Local MP Anne Minh-Thu Quach was also in attendance to celebrate the non-profit’s 11th anniversary. A flurry of balloons tied to strollers and people lent the event a festive feel, with the balloons being graciously donated by Huntingdon’s L’Amie Du Dollar.
The foundation, which works alongside driving service S.A.B.E.C. to provide transportation for local cancer patients, provides close to 57 trips a month (each patient is offered a total 11 trips) for locals across the Chateauguay Valley—a service that costs about $3,320 per month—a tab of $42,000 per year. In order to foot such a large bill, the foundation hosts a number of events throughout the year. In 2016 alone, the foundation organized a triathlon over the summer and manned a garage sale table at the CVAA’s annual tractor show—all the proceeds of which were filtered back into the organization.
“I want to thank everybody for their generosity. By paying it forward, they are helping each other. Everyone in the MRC is helping each other by donating, getting these cancer patients the help they need,” says foundation founder Riel. She’s referring to the fundraising efforts of the community—something that Riel admits is the backbone of the non-profit, crediting the success of the foundation to locals. For instance, the newly opened B&B Owl’s Nest hosted an event for Riel on September 25th, raising $2,700 for the charity.
While the foundation works closely with SABEC, it is worth noting that there is a degree of separation between the two. According to Riel, SABEC pays for each trips with money provided by donors—like The Betty Riel Foundation, who takes it upon itself to pay the entire cost of the trip to SABEC directly. For instance, if one trip to the city costs $70 though SABEC, the foundation pays the majority, leaving non-profit SABEC with only a small amount to cover (less than 1%). So while donations to SABEC go towards funding the service, The Betty Riel Foundation pays for the entirety of the trip, taking any financial stress away from local cancer patients. This is what a donation to The Betty Riel Foundation goes towards.
For those looking to donate either a monetary gift or second-hand items, contact Betty Riel at 450-264-3570.
