Columbia Basin Cancer Foundation meets goal for radiation treatment center

MOSES LAKE — The Columbia Basin Cancer Foundation has reached its goal in a fundraising drive to build a radiation treatment center in Moses Lake for cancer patients.

Foundation director Angel Ledesma said the campaign raised $3.5 million at the end of July. Administrators had set the goal of raising $250,000 in July.

“We hit it on the target,” Ledesma said Wednesday. “It’s such an awesome thing that this community helped us.”

Final totals will be released in a few weeks, when the committee in charge of the fundraising campaign finishes its work, Ledesma said. A groundbreaking date and construction timeline will be announced, as well.

Ledesma gave credit to the committee members, who have been working on the project for more than two years.

“We’re really appreciative of them,” she said. “We couldn’t have done it without them.”

The campaign raised about $3 million as of the beginning of July, and an anonymous donor came forward with a proposal: to contribute $250,000 if the cancer foundation could raise $250,000 by July 31.

Donors from around the Columbia Basin met the challenge.

“In four weeks. It was awesome,” Ledesma said.

The foundation is working with Confluence Health on the project, as the radiation treatment facility will be located on the grounds of the Confluence Health-Moses Lake Clinic at 840 E. Hill Ave. and will provide radiation treatment only. And, the $3.5 million raised locally will be matched by $3.5 million from Confluence Health.

The total project cost is estimated at about $7 million, including the building and equipment, Ledesma said.

Ledesma said in an earlier interview the foundation partnered with Confluence Health, the Confluence Health Foundation and the Wenatchee Valley Medical Group to raise the money.

The fundraising drive began in 2018, and Ledesma said it took about 28 months to raise the money. Organizers knew it would take a while, and it took about as long as they expected, she said, with the COVID-19 pandemic slowing things down.

“We’re very excited and we’re amazed, and just so grateful,” she said.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.