Langley Memorial Hospital Foundation, in association with Foundation Board members Balraj Mann and Manjit Gill, hosted over 300 guests at a new fundraising event, Giving Hearts Gala.
The event, which took place February 9 at the Mirage Banquet Hall in Cloverdale, provided a substantial fundraising boost for Emergency Response, the campaign to build a new Emergency Department and MRI Suite at Langley Memorial Hospital.
A big reason for the successful fundraising total of over $200,000 was due to a surprise matching gift by event co-chair Manjit Gill and her husband Darcy.
“I have lived in Langley for almost 50 years and Langley remains home to four generations of our family,” said Manjit Gill, who is a member of the Langley Memorial Hospital Foundation Board as well as a co-chair for the Giving Hearts Gala.
“My family and I have worked hard and are blessed to see our efforts paid off with success. But with our success comes great responsibility, too. That is - to make society better around you. We’re honoured to be able to do this with the help of our community and to help make Langley Memorial Hospital a great medical facility.”
The Giving Hearts program was emceed by local Pulse FM personalities Tara Lopez and Jas Gill, and guests were treated to a lively Bollywood-style dance performance by acclaimed dance team VanCity Dance as well as a keynote address from Dr. Navjot Sandhu, Emergency Department Physician at Langley Memorial Hospital.
Guests had a chance to bid on dinner with Mayor Jack Froese and Mayor Val van den Broek, which sold for $3,000, take part in a raffle for prizes ranging from a pair of diamond and rose gold earrings, valued at $1,300, to a travel voucher and wine package, valued at $550 and purchase 50/50 lottery tickets.
The winner of the 50/50 lottery, Rebecca Darnell, chose to donate her $720 winnings back to the hospital, explaining to the appreciative crowd how her own emergency room experience inspired her to give back.
Through Langley Memorial Hospital Foundation’s $15-million Emergency Response fundraising campaign, a new Emergency Department will be built three times the current department’s size and equipped with the latest technically-advanced medical equipment to handle Langley’s growing and changing demographics.
The MRI Suite will perform 7,500 exams within its first 12 months of operation and improve access to urgent medical care for residents of Langley and neighbouring communities.