The Lake of the Woods District Hospital Foundation’s 20th Annual Lifesavers Dinner & Auction celebrated two decades of extraordinary community generosity on Saturday, August 8, raising an impressive $502,482 in support of exceptional care at Lake of the Woods District Hospital (LWDH). This brings the total raised to over $5M since its inception.
Proceeds from this year’s event will fund a new infant abduction and patient wandering system, a $260,000 investment that will enhance safety and security for some of the Hospital’s most vulnerable patients. The additional proceeds will support The Strengthening Surgical Care Close to Home Initiative, an ambitious initiative focused on advancing surgical care, education, innovation and future care capacity at LWDH.
Held at the Royal Lake of the Woods Yacht Club, the milestone evening brought together community members, donors, physicians, and healthcare professionals to celebrate the impact of two decades of Lifesavers. Guests enjoyed an evening filled with great food, entertainment and plenty of opportunities to give, including a spirited live auction, whistle raffle and call for donations.
At the heart of this year’s success were the 40 Lighthouse Families, each of whom made a $10,000 contribution to the event. Their collective generosity represents $400,000 in support and continues a tradition that has become one of the defining features of the Lifesavers Dinner & Auction.
“Raising more than $500,000 as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of Lifesavers is an extraordinary achievement. This incredible generosity will help enhance patient safety and strengthen surgical care close to home. On behalf of our patients, families and healthcare team, thank you to everyone who has supported Lifesavers and helped improve healthcare in our community,” shared Cheryl O’Flaherty, CEO, Lake of the Woods District Hospital.
The 20th anniversary also provided an opportunity to reflect on the remarkable story behind the event. Twenty years ago, in the summer of 2006, Bob Kozminski had an idea for a Backwoods Bash at Smith’s Camp. The following year, Nicki Douglas joined his efforts to grow the event. They believed that bringing people together around a shared purpose could create something truly meaningful for LWDH.
That vision became the Lifesavers Dinner & Auction and, soon after, the event moved to the Royal Lake of the Woods Yacht Club. What began as an idea at a camp has grown into one of Northwestern Ontario’s most successful philanthropic traditions.
“It’s an enormous privilege to carry forward a vision that began twenty years ago and has grown into an extraordinary philanthropic tradition. Lifesavers brings together generations of people who share a deep commitment to exceptional healthcare in our community. To see that generosity expressed so powerfully again this year was incredibly moving. We’re so grateful to everyone who made this milestone evening possible and very excited about what comes next,” said Lisa Paterson and Aynsley Cockshott, Co-Chairs of the 2026 Lifesavers Dinner & Auction.
“The story of Lifesavers is really a story about what can happen when a community comes together with a shared belief in the importance of healthcare close to home,” said Mira Trebilcock, Executive Director of the Lake of the Woods District Hospital Foundation. “Twenty years ago, Bob and Nicki had a vision for bringing people together in a meaningful way. Today, Lifesavers is one of the Foundation’s cornerstone fundraising events, and its impact on our Hospital and our community has been extraordinary.”
The LWDH Foundation extends its heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to the 20th Annual Lifesavers Dinner & Auction and to the many individuals whose generosity has sustained this extraordinary event for two decades. It also extends special thanks to Don and Catherine Konantz, who expertly emceed the evening and helped make the 20th anniversary celebration such a memorable occasion.