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Banks to battle for beds by May 1gathered for Wednesdays kickoff.By Melanie CummingsWhistles, pompoms, clappersSPECIAL TO THE BEAVERand balloons buoyed the spirits of each of the six teams vying to raiseThe annual battle for beds among the localthe most money for the Oakvillebanks begins.Hospital Foundation.Over the next month branches all over town Over the past five years localwill unleash a bevy of fundraising bake sales,banks have contributed more thanbarbecues, raffles and auctions in an effort to$600,000 or 40 beds to the cause. outdo their counterparts.While one of the most basicThe deadline is Sunday May 1, when theyitems in health care settings, hospi-take their battle to the streets. tal beds are also one of the mostThats when teams from BMO, CIBC, HSBC,important pieces of equipment, saidRBC, Scotiabank and TD put their mettle to thethe hospitals CEO Dr. Johntest on Lakeshore Road in the sixth annual McFadden.Birmingham Bank Bed Challenge. The high-tech beds are certainlyRenamed to posthumously honour the races not cheap, but have made bedsoresfounder Bruce Birmingham, who died Julya thing of the past, and improved2010, the family is matching every donation,patient comfort, safety, indepen-dollar for dollar, made to this years campaign.dence and recovery, he added.On May 1, the team that pushes its decoratedThe money raised for additionalgurney and passenger posing as patient acrossbeds in this years race will benefitthe finish line first claims the coveted title asthe new 457-bed hospital at thethe fastest.northwest corner of Third Line andIts not about winning market share, its Dundas Street, which is slated toabout the community, said Brian Wood, man-break ground this summer, addedager of the downtown TD bank. McFadden.Wood faced the sobering reality of the needTo make a donation to thefor new hospital beds last year, when his Birminghan Bank Bed Challenge12-year-old son, who was the team passengerhead to a local bank branch or golast year, faced emergency surgery for appendi-online to www.bankbedchallenge.citis.RIZIERO VERTOL-com.He is personally determined to outdo TDsown record haul of $33,000 last year, which isSUITING UP:The Oakville Hospital Foundation has launched the sixth annual Carpet Cleaning SpecialistsSince 1952enough to buy three hospital beds andBirmingham Bank Bed Challenge to take place downtown May 1. From left, in back, Gareth unseat the Bank Bed Challenge race championsHales, RBC, Patrick Keyser, HSBC, Brian Wood, TD, and Kerith McLeod, ScotiaBank. Front row for the past two years, and top fundraisers forTabitha McDow, CIBC, Tina Triano, Oakville Hospital Foundation, Deanna Delbel, ScotiaBank, the past five years, Scotiabank.Danielle Zeran, BMO.Spot!There were plenty of light-hearted barbsflowing back and forth among the teams thatRESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL WALL TO WALL FURNITURE & UPHOLSTERY neAess sseeAn noonAREA RUGS PERSIAN & ORIENTALVT CHitCCleayLHgninCneUirpp!STruck Mount In-Plant ServiceWater Damage RestorationSee the transformation of what we can do in relation to others!RE-CONDITION,RECYCLE, AND RE-USE:All Outdoor FurnitureTrellises & UrnsCottage Furniture25%Garage Sale FindsDrop-offStored Furniture$25Discount! off withAll types of doors this ad (MinMynt Hair Studio would like to imumFREE 250 mL SPOTTING BOTTLE$250 order)welcome Celia to their team.www.onthespotcleaning.ca905-631-REDO (7336) 1446 WALLACE RD.www.paintitlikenew.comQEWHOURS: TUESDAY TO FRIDAY 10-8 AND SATURDAY 9-5OAKVILLE, ON#1A-1254 Plains Rd. E., Burlington, OntarioSpeers2530 THIRD LINE, BUILDING A, UNIT 5, OAKVILLE 905-827-080310 am - 5pm Tuesday- SaturdayWallace905-825-4256CLIP & SAVE Bronte17 Friday, April 1, 2011 OAKVILLE BEAVER www.insideHALTON.com