• Ontario
• Greater Toronto Area
• Halton Region
• Oakville

New Beds for the Oakville Hospital: You Can Bank On That

Some people find it difficult to get out of bed on a Sunday morning. For those who participated in the 11th annual Birmingham Bank Bed Challenge, it was no problem.

A little rain doesn't make BMO feel blue.

The Bed Challenge has raised over $1.2 million for the Oakville Hospital Foundation since its inception in 2006. Funds are raised throughout each April by Oakville’s major banks - BMO, CIBC, National, RBC, TD, and Scotiabank - and are used to purchase new hospital beds to serve Oakville’s growing community. With the recent opening of the new (and much larger) Oakville hospital, these funds are more needed than ever.

CIBC, showing off their "Best Decorated" bed.

This year, representatives from the banks and three community partners - Budds’ BMW, the Oakville Fire Department, and Revera Retirement Living - wheeled their beds to Towne Square for 10am on Sunday, May 1st. They were greeted by the smell of Sunset Grill’s pancake breakfast, and woke themselves up with cups of steaming hot chocolate and fluffy flapjacks drizzled in maple syrup.

It was a cold, wet morning, but participants didn’t seem to mind. They cheered loudly as they put the finishing touches on their beds, and eagerly awaited the competition.

The Oakville Fire Department.

Unfortunately, given the dismal weather conditions, it was announced that the bed race was cancelled. One slip and a participant may have been the one needing a hospital bed! Instead, teams marched their beds down Lakeshore Road. As Milli Vanilli’s “Blame It On the Rain” and Prince’s “Purple Rain” blasted through the speakers, participants waved to the cheering crowd.

RBC. One of the mascots seems to have had a bad case of bedhead.

All of the beds were artistic masterpieces in their own rights, but it was CIBC’s Springtime Celebration that took home the prize for “Best Decorated.” Given that this year’s fundraising efforts earned over $105,000 for the new hospital, though, everyone came out of the 11th Birmingham Bank Bed Challenge a winner.

For more information on the Bed Challenge, or to make a last-minute donation, visit bankbedchallenge.com.

Scotiabank was ready to race to the finish line.