A Vancouver Island long-term care worker with a love for the water is back again with another swimming fundraiser.
In January, Lucas Gentina, a rehabilitation assistant at Saanich Peninsula Hospital’s long-term care centre swam across Elk Lake to raise money for new equipment at the facility.
“We got over $11,000 and even a little bit more from other sources and everything, so we pitched in way more than I thought,” says Gentina. “It went directly into specific wheelchairs. Wheelchairs are much more comfortable for the elders to sit on and specifically for them to go out into the garden and to go out of their rooms.”
The Elk Lake fundraiser got Gentina thinking about his next challenge, which he has found in the waters off of the Saanich Peninsula.
“So we’re going to swim across the Saanich Inlet,” laughs Gentina. “As soon as we did the last fundraiser, I said ‘yeah that’s the one that we’re doing.'”
The 3.7-kilometre swim will once again help raise money for the Saanich Peninsula Hospital to provide more equipment for seniors.
“We’ve been brainstorming different ideas on how to use this amount because last time I didn’t even know we were going to get that amount,” says Gentina. “I kind of aimed it low, but this time we are able to kind of look at what we have and see what pieces we need specifically.”
Just like the first swim, Gentina has the support of all the residents at the facility.
“It’s something really positive for people to look forward to that most of the time don’t really have something positive to look forward to,” says Gentina.
Gentina will take to the water Sunday, May 15. To make a donation visit the Saanich Peninsula Hospital Foundation website or by clicking here.
Lucas Gentina is planning to swim 3.7 kilometres from Mill Bay to Deep Cove in hopes of raising money for the purchase of special chairs for bed-ridden residents in long-term care at Saanich Peninsula Hospital. (CHEK News)
Cole Sorenson
