April 23, 2019

Watrous Couple Supports Children’s Emergency With $100,000 Gift

A Watrous couple is giving back with a $100,000 donation to Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation. The generous gift from Melissa and Ron Ediger will support an exam room in Pediatric Emergency in the new children’s hospital.

“We’re pleased to help contribute to a happy and healthy future so that Saskatchewan children and their families can enjoy life like we have,” said Melissa and Ron. “We want to leave a legacy from the Ediger family.”

After 21 years of business with homegrown company Melron Service Ltd., the Edigers knew it was time to give back. The company based out of Watrous has grown into a well-respected trenching, aggregate and trailer sale business since its humble beginnings in 1997 when it was started up by Ron, Melissa and their son Trent. The company now has over 25 employees and serves within a 100-mile radius of Watrous.

The Edigers have always been ambitious in their community involvement focusing on helping future generations of children. With four of their own children, nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, Melissa and Ron knew that a gift towards pediatric health care in Saskatchewan would strongly resonate with their family-centred values.

The Exam Room that the Edigers have chosen to support will greatly benefit children and families who find themselves in Saskatchewan’s first 24-hour Pediatric Emergency in the new Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital. The room is one of 10 that will allow children to feel more relaxed and comfortable in an environment that is often considered scary. It will allow for comprehensive evaluation, stabilization and treatment of critically injured children. The new Pediatric Emergency will have room to treat over 21,000 children each year.

“When a child spends time in Pediatric Emergency, a family goes from the comforts of home to an environment full of uncertainties,” said Brynn Boback-Lane, president and CEO of Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation. “We are grateful that the Edigers have stepped on board to help provide comfort during what can be the hardest time a family may face. Their generosity is a true commitment to our children and families that will bring hope when it’s needed most.”

Construction on Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital is over 90 per cent complete and set to open in the fall. Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation’s “We Are Saskatchewan” Capital Campaign has raised $68 million towards a goal of at least $75 million.

To donate to the capital campaign for the new hospital, please visit: pattisonchildrens.ca/donate.