They came together to play with LEGO, have their pictures taken, listen to country music star Dallas Smith, bid on auction items, chat with health-care professionals, and vie for tickets to Taylor Swift or a trip for two, as well as eat, drink, and socialize.

But more importantly, they came together to raise money for the purchase of two new X-ray machines for 91原创 Memorial Hospital.

At the 33rd annual hospital foundation gala 鈥� this one themed Electric Gala and held inside a blinged-out Mercedes-Benz 91原创 dealership 鈥� 344 guests helped raise about $315,000 towards the needed medical imaging equipment.

Between the Sports Injury Month efforts in September, and the Nov. 2 gala, the 91原创 Community Health & Hospital Foundation is now just $85,000 shy of its $1.1-million goal, said executive director Heather Scott.

鈥溾��my heartfelt thanks to the generous community of 91原创 who makes it possible to bring state of the art equipment, like these X-ray machines into our hospital,鈥� said Scott, who is still hopeful the machines can be ordered by year鈥檚 end.

There are currently two X-ray machines at the local hospital. One is 15 years old, and both are well past their expected life span of 10 years, the audience was told.

鈥淏y virtue of your presence here, you have recognized the importance of tonight鈥檚 cause,鈥� Scott said. 鈥淯pgrading the X-ray technology at 91原创 Memorial Hospital will ease congestion, provide better image quality at lower doses of radiation, while giving our X-ray technologists the best tools to do the job.鈥�

Gala emcee Amy Bell explained that, all too often, one or both machine are broken, forcing a wait of hours or sometimes days for repairs.

鈥淭his is the situation that the patients and technologists in the medical imaging unit face on a regular basis,鈥� Bell said.

鈥淎nd that鈥檚 why your generosity tonight is so important. We need our health care to meet every need for a population undergoing rapid growth,鈥� Bell said.

Dr. Emil Lee, the diagnostic and interventional radiologist at the hospital, spoke to demand on the current machines, processing more than 4,600 procedures a month, or 55,000 a year. He further quantified the need, citing that the increase in trauma admissions to the local ER have risen almost 32 per cent in the past year, and subsequently there has been a 31-per-cent increase in X-ray scan for the same period.

When people learn of the volume of scans being undertaken, the community members are usually anxious to help 鈥� in whatever way they can 鈥� get them replaced, Scott commented.

鈥淚鈥檇 like you to think about what it means for our friends, your neighbours, your loved ones, that our hospital has the most advanced equipment possible,鈥� she added, noting the foundation will now do some personal outreach to try to secure the remaining money needed for the X-ray machines.

鈥淐ommunity advocacy built the hospital 75 years ago, and it鈥檚 that same passion that lives on 75 years later that continues to drive our pursuit for excellence in health care for the benefit of every single 91原创 resident,鈥� Scott said, expressing gratitude to all those who sponsored the gala, donated at the event, or simply made a direct contribution to the campaign. 鈥淵our generosity has made a huge difference.鈥�