Hospital foundation returns donation from Saskatoon men’s club Boys Lunch Out

SASKATOON – A Catholic hospital foundation is returning a donation from a Saskatoon men’s club which reportedly raised $25,000 at a fundraiser where women danced in lingerie.

CBC reported earlier this week that the Canadian Progress Club held its annual Boys Lunch Out on Friday.

A CBC reporter shot a short video at the invitation-only event that showed women in G-strings gyrating on raised walkways to rock and pop music.

The Progress Club has said the event has been “grossly misrepresented,” but added it will review all future fundraisers.

The St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation says the fundraiser wasn’t in keeping with Catholic values.

The foundation says in a statement that those values emphasize respect of the whole person.

“It is the responsibility of St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation to ensure that gifts made to the foundation are in line with both our foundation and hospital’s values and mission,” said the statement released Tuesday.

Bishop Mark Hagemoen with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon also released a statement.

“Respect for the human person is a foundational guiding principal for Catholic institutions that provides insight and direction for all of our ministry activities, including the efforts to financially support such activities,” he wrote.

The hospital foundation initially dismissed criticism of the event. CEO Bruce Acton told CBC St. Paul’s Hospital has benefited greatly from the club’s donations and it wasn’t the foundation’s job to “police fundraising.”

(CKOM)