EIGHTH ANNUAL DAY OF GIVING
EIGHT DAYS TO $5 MILLION
What began as a humble, one-day fundraiser has blossomed into an extraordinary grassroots movement, driven by the incredible generosity of our community.
The very first KGH Day of Giving took place in 2017 to fund the opening of Foundry Kelowna, now a vital, integrated youth mental health care centre in our community. That inaugural year, just over $42,000 was raised during the one day effort.
But then, over the next seven years, something truly unimaginable happened. Soon, hundreds of thousands were being raised as the community came together, increasing in numbers and enthusiasm.
The mission for this year’s KGH Day of Giving was Cancer Care. The response was undeniable: $927,707 raised to advance medical imaging, pathology, surgical oncology and innovation right here in our home community at KGH.
Following this year’s success, an astounding $5.5 million has been raised over the past eight years. You could say we did it, together, in just eight days!
The remarkable success of the KGH Day of Giving is due to it being about much more than just the funds raised. It is an example of the incredible achievements made possible when clinicians, physicians, volunteers, businesses, partners, and donors unite for a common cause. It is an expression of community in action — individuals working together to build world-class health care for everyone in the Southern Interior.
Every single donation makes a difference. Because they add up. The charm of the KGH Day of Giving is that despite its exponential growth, it is still a grassroots community fundraiser.
When the Sprott-Shaw Change Bandits took to the streets in front of the hospital, they raised a record-breaking $7,454 from the vehicles and pedestrians passing by. When the owners of the five Kelowna Pita Pit locations set out to raise $2,500—they quadrupled their goal and raised $10,000. When local realtor, Darcy Nyrose, offered to match gifts that came in from his colleagues and clients with $5,000, over $11,000 was raised. When our Kelowna Save-On-Foods and Urban Fare hosted a BBQ lunch for KGH staff, over $2,000 was raised for the cause. Another $11,606 was contributed through their till campaigns.
A huge thank you to our entire community for showing up in support of our hospital and health care in our community. KGH Day of Giving would not be possible without you and reminds us of what it means to be a part of a community that is not afraid to work together to accomplish big things.
