A fundraiser for the Foothills Country Hospice has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the facility.

On Oct. 28, the Hospice hosted its 14th annual gala, this year with a Vegas Nights theme.

Dawn Elliot, Executive Director of the Foothills Country Hospice, says with just over 400 attendees the event was a huge success.

"We had a live band this year and had lots of people dancing and having a great time, and the end result was really good. We're very happy with what we made, we grossed $206,000 before expenses for the event."

After expenses for the event are paid the remainder of the $206,000 will go towards a number of projects at the hospice.

"Some of it will go towards a wish list with patient items on there that need to be purchased or repaired, and also a lot of this will go towards our support services that we offer our patients and families at the hospice."

Elliot is ecstatic with the amount raised with support from Foothills, Okotoks, and Calgary residents, adding the annual gala means quite a lot to the hospice's budget.

"We receive 60% of our funding from Alberta Health Services, and we have to make up the other 40% which equates to $1.2 million in order to continue doing what we do. This fundraiser is really important to us and as you can see it really impacts our bottom line."

Patients at the Foothills Country Hospice do not pay for their stay or meals, Elliot says the funds will go a long way to help them provide their service.

Elliot would like to thank everyone who supported the hospice at the Gala, as well as the Gilbert Family and Sobey's who have donated all food for hospice patients since 2008.

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