KELOWNA, BC, – October 15th, 2021
October 15, 2021. It was a perfect Okanagan autumn day and as the sun beamed down on JoeAnna’s House yesterday, a generous community came together to raise a total of $66,599 to support the much-beloved home away from home for families of regional patients requiring advanced medical care at Kelowna General Hospital.
From sunrise to sunset. Better Together Day demonstrates the power of community
The KGH Foundation’s 2nd Annual ‘Better Together’ Day kicked off bright and early at 6 am, which saw dozens of locals come by the home at 321 Abbott St. to make a donation and pick up their Drive-Thru breakfast, sponsored by the community’s local Save-on-Foods stores.
Orchard Plaza Save-on-Foods Manager, Scott Nazaruk was there handing out breakfasts himself, witnessing first-hand what community support is like in Kelowna.
“It was awesome!” says Scott enthusiastically. “It was truly heart-warming to see so many folks taking time out of their day to come down and give to support this incredibly important resource for families.”
Support for Better Together Day from local businesses was robust. Save-on-Foods from across the southern interior together contributed over $8,000 to the cause. Christy Lovig, lawyer at Doak Shirreff and KGH Foundation board member, gave and also provided a match for all employees who did the same. Team Construction Management, the local construction company who built JoeAnna’s House, also made a donation and challenged trades and builders. Gabe Giroux from Okanagan Painting Crew was one of the trades who took Team Construction up on the challenge and gave a generous donation. Tamara Stone, well-known local real estate agent, also stopped by and encouraged others to give.
Many volunteers and friends of JoeAnna’s House came out, including Kelowna Mayor, Colin Basran, a dedicated KGH Foundation volunteer and supporter of JoeAnna’s House, Gail Harrison with Cops for Kids, an organization that played a key role in advocating for the need for JoeAnna’s House, and Tanya Stroinig from Prestige Hotels & Resorts, the locally based, family-owned hospitality chain started by Joe and Anna Huber for whom JoeAnna’s House is named. The Huber family provided the substantial lead gift to initiate the build of JoeAnna’s House in 2017.
Since opening in November 2019, JoeAnna’s House has provided a safe haven for hundreds of regional families needing a place to stay close to KGH while their loved ones receive advanced medical care.
Hosts from Pattison Media radio stations, 103.1 Beach Radio and 104.7 The Lizard, were on-site from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., sharing first-hand stories from JoeAnna’s House guests and the impact it had for their families during very stressful times.
“It literally brings tears to my eyes,” says Darlene Haslock, Manager of JoeAnna’s House. “For the families that stay here, this becomes home. And it’s all made possible by people they will never meet.”
“JoeAnna’s House was built by the hearts and hands of people and businesses who, by working together, made the impossible possible,” says KGH Foundation CEO, Doug Rankmore. “This home is a beautiful representation of what it means to be part of a community that cares.”
“We are always better together.”
For more information on JoeAnna’s House, please visit joeannashouse.com.
Since 1978, the KGH Foundation has worked with a generous community to raise funds to support world-class healthcare close to home for a rapidly expanding and diverse population in the interior of B.C. Today, the KGH Foundation is the lead fundraising organization for Kelowna General Hospital and its associated facilities, JoeAnna’s House and Central Okanagan Hospice House.