The Dauphin Shrine Club hosted a raffle draw, Saturday, as part of a fund-raiser for the Shriners Hospital for Children in Canada.

The raffle was held in conjunction with the Brandon Shrine Club and Wolfpack Shrine Club.

The proceeds will be used to purchase a mini C-arm, a piece of equipment which will allow surgery to be performed on children as young as one year of age.

“It’s a very precise piece of equipment for the small extremities such as the hand and wrist, or the feet and ankle, or the knees,” said Klaus Knorz, Past Potentate of the Wolfpack Shrine Club.

The piece of equipment is priced at $68,903.

The raffle drew support from other Shriners clubs. According to Knorz, Shriners in British Columbia donated $50,000, the Shrine Club in Sioux Lookout, Ont., donated $10,000 and the raffle was a complete sellout. And, although the numbers still have to be worked out, Knorz was confident they will be able to donate $10,000 from the raffle.

“I can tell you, it’s been successful and it’s 100 per cent paid for now,” he said.

Knorz said the Shriners are a fraternity, but they also support and operate the Shriners health care system.

The Shriners Hospital for Children in Canada is located in Montreal, Que., and is for children from all across Canada.

Knorz said there is also a transportation fund so that if a child from Dauphin, for example, has to go to the hospital in Montreal, money would be sent to pay for transportation for the child and a parent to Montreal for a consultation or to receive medical treatment.

“We say the medical treatment comes regardless of the family’s ability to pay. The family does not receive a bill, but we’re cautioned not to say free, because it costs a lot of money,” Knorz said.

“So what we do is we raise money for our health care system. And children from Dauphin, from Brandon, from all across Canada are treated at Shriners Children’s Hospital.”

Once children enter the Shriners hospital system, they may be sent to a Shriners facility in the United States, based on medical treatment.

“The initial consultation is done at Shriners Hospital for Children in Canada in Montreal. And each hospital had its own specialization. The hospital in Montreal specializes in spinal injuries. Some of the Shriners hospitals specialize in burn victims and so forth,” Knorz said.

“But once they see a doctor, the doctor then determines which hospital best suits the needs of that child and then the patient is directed towards that hospital.”

The Shriners started in 1872 as a fraternity associated with Freemasonry. As it developed, they wanted to have a purpose. In 1922, polio was affecting children in North America and the first hospital was established in Shreveport, LA.

There are now more than 20 Shriners hospitals in the U.S. and Canada, as well as one in Mexico.

Knorz appreciates the support from the various raffle sponsors, which include Parkland Sport and Marine, where the draws were made, as well as Sticky’s Bait and Tackle and Lews Canada/Expert Fishing Co. Knorz also noted a Fresh Market Foods in Sioux Lookout, Ont., also donated a prize.

“I just want to make a big, big thank you to our donors, because without our supporters we never would have been able to do this,” he said.