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Keri Anderson and Suzanne McMillan were among 12 local women who raised $850 for Mercy Ships, an international organization that provides medical services for people in need, May 12.

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Mothers' Day event raises money for international charity

On May 12, 12 local women raised $850 for Mercy Ships, an international Christian charity with a Canadian base in Victoria that has provided more than $1 billion worth of medical services for people in developing nations since 1978.

During the Mother’s Day fundraising event, hosted by Airdrie’s Jenelle Dippel in her Windsong home, the ladies donned their best “mom” costumes, played mom-themed games and took pictures in a photo booth. The ladies contributed to the cause through a donation box.

“I was overwhelmed not only by the spirit everyone showed through their costumes and participation, but by the compassion that was evident as we watched a Mercy Ships video, and the incredible generosity shown through financial gifts,” said Dippel. “The way that people got involved with their costumes, they showed a lot of enthusiasm for the cause.”

Airdrie’s Superstore location donated a gift card for a door prize and Avenue Cakery & Bakeshoppe donated cupcakes.

Dippel, a part-time employee of Mercy Ships, was motivated to host the event by the memory of her mom.

“I lost my mom three years ago so to be able to… offer people around the world the opportunity to have a joyful motherhood (is rewarding),” she said. “A lot of people have the opportunity to experience motherhood, but they are suffering and they need help.”

The money raised will go towards the organization, which has a special mandate to provide surgeries for women suffering from Vesico-Vaginal Fistula, a condition caused by hardship in childbirth. According to the World Health Organization, more than two million women and girls worldwide develop the debilitating condition, which causes a constant trickle of urine to escape from the bodies of its sufferers.

Mercy Ships’ 450 volunteers, which include surgeons, dentists, nurses, community developers, cooks, seamen, engineers, agriculturists, dentists and teachers, provides surgeries aboard the hospital ship Africa Mercy, at a cost of about $450 each, to correct the condition.

The organization, which is funded primarily through private donations, has worked in more than 70 of the world’s poorest countries. Besides providing free medical and community development services aboard, Africa Mercy, medical and dental teams from the organization travel the countries and establish clinics to provide vaccination programs, dental treatment and basic health care for those with no access to these facilities.

Local community health workers receive training in hygiene, nutrition and disease prevention.

For more information about the organization, visit www.mercyships.ca