The annual Dancing with the CCH Stars fundraiser held at Aultsville Theatre in Cornwall on March 7, 2026, successfully raised $160,977.21 in net funds to help purchase vital medical equipment for the Cornwall Community Hospital.
The event brought together eight teams of healthcare professionals and community partners, who spent months training with local dance schools. This year’s competition featured several milestones, including the participation of the first mental health services team and the first external partners, a group of paramedics from Cornwall SDG Paramedic Services.
The competition winner, the Clinical Cup, was awarded to Registered Practical Nurse Amberly Coulter and City of Cornwall representative Justine Viray-Levac. Their victory secured $100,000 toward five new patient beds and a defibrillator for the hospital’s Acute Medicine Unit. Other top finishers included Dr. Celine Lemire and Dr. Raji Menon, who performed to support a new anesthesia system, and sonographer Mia Stirling and registered practical nurse Amber Beaulieu, who raised funds for a new ultrasound machine.
Organized by the Cornwall Community Hospital Foundation, the event addresses a critical need for local medical infrastructure. While the Ontario Ministry of Health covers over 80 percent of the hospital’s operating costs, the hospital must rely on community support to finance and purchase essential capital equipment. Proceeds from this year’s event were earmarked for a variety of needs, including cardiac monitors for the Emergency Department and specialized mammography equipment to reduce the need for patients to travel to Ottawa for biopsies.
The event saw a sold-out crowd in person, while the livestream audience doubled to 3,000 viewers. Community members looking to support future efforts can mark their calendars for next year, as the event is set to return to Aultsville Theatre on March 6, 2027.
