Tree of Lights events helps Foundation inch closer to new mammography unit

Guests at St. Francis Valley Healthcare Foundation’s Tree of Lights ceremony, counted down from 10 on Friday. And then a tree was lit to a spirited applause.  

The lights on the tree, at the Railway Station in Barry’s Bay, represented donations made to support health care.  

This year’s Tree of Lights campaign is raising funds to purchase a mammography unit at St. Francis Memorial Hospital. 

The hospital hopes to replace its aging unit and have a machine that’s on par with other big city hospitals, so patients won’t have to travel for scans.  

The ceremony doesn’t end the fundraising campaign, as donations are still being encouraged.  

Foundation staff says the mammography unit is a long-term goal, as it will cost about $400,000.