$5.3 Million Fundraising Campaign Kicks Off for JoeAnna’s House Expansion

KELOWNA, BC, October 28, 2024 – The KGH Foundation is calling on the community to support a vital $5.3 million fundraising campaign aimed at expanding JoeAnna’s House to better serve families in need. The expansion project will add ten additional rooms to help alleviate the ongoing waitlist of families facing significant hardships.

JoeAnna’s House provides accommodations for out-of-town families with loved ones receiving care at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH). The twenty-room facility was made possible because of donors, and it relies on community support to continue operating.

“It breaks my heart to have to turn away families during their time of need,” shares Darlene Haslock, Director of JoeAnna’s House. “Many of them are already facing unimaginable challenges. Add to this having to sleep in cars or hospital hallways, just to stay close to their loved ones.”

“JoeAnna’s House has a constant waitlist,” adds Haslock. “Since the home opened in 2019, we’ve been unable to accommodate over 951 families.”

“Since JoeAnna’s House opened five years ago, the population of BC’s Interior has grown tremendously, and we continue to expand vital services at KGH to decrease the number of people who must travel for advanced medical care,” shares Allison Young, CEO of the KGH Foundation.

“Hospital beds at KGH have increased from 400 when we opened to 497 today, and with the ongoing growth of our region, we anticipate even further need,” Young states. “While an expansion was always part of our vision for JoeAnna’s House, the support of our board and donors, alongside the increasing need, gives us the confidence to act now to enhance our capacity and prepare for the future.”

As of October 29, 2024, JoeAnna’s House has welcomed 2,539 families from 308 BC Interior cities and towns for 24,317 overnight stays in total.

Families like the Corbins from Nelson.

Danielle and Troy Corbin welcomed their first child, Zander, when he was six weeks premature at KGH. With the unexpected early arrival of their son, the family didn’t know where they would stay or how they would afford it. When Danielle and Troy learned they had a room at JoeAnna’s House, they were immensely relieved.

“This place alleviated a substantial amount of stress and anxiety,” Danielle Corbin recalls. “We still get emotional thinking about it. JoeAnna’s House made it possible for us to be a few minutes walk from what mattered to us most- caring for our little boy.”

It’s been four years since their visit and Troy and Danielle still speak about how much JoeAnna’s House meant to them. They’ve even made a trip back to JoeAnna’s House to visit with a now thriving, four-year-old Zander.

“Now the stories have finally come alive to him; we see it in his smile,” shares Troy Corbin. “When you give to JoeAnna’s house, you’re supporting a person or a family who is in a challenging, stressful, and often unexpected situation. Perhaps one of the most difficult times of their lives. You provided for us in the time of our greatest need a place that will forever be in our hearts – our home away from home.”

“The generosity of our community has made JoeAnna’s House available for thousands of families who truly depend on us,” shares Haslock. “Now we are appealing to the community to support the expansion project and help accommodate thousands more. Together, we can open our doors wider. Together, we grow!”

JoeAnna’s House Quick Facts

• 2,539 familes have been welcomed for 24,317 overnight stays
• The daily cost to operate JoeAnna’s House is $89 a room
• The house opened it doors November 15, 2019 to the first three families
• 291 babies have been born to guests during their stay
• 956 meals have been served to guests through the Share a Meal program
• Residents from 308 BC Interior cities and towns have stayed at the home
• 44 volunteers contributed 2,272 hours in the house and the garden last year
• Guests stay an average of 10.44 nights
• Reasons loved ones needed to stay at KGH:
  • 31% Cardiac
  • 20% Stroke
  • 16% Pediatrics/ NICU
  • 14% Oncology
  • 6% Emergency/ Trauma

To learn more and to support the expansion project for JoeAnna’s House please visit www.joeannashouse.com/expansion/.

Since 1978, the KGH Foundation has worked with a generous community to raise funds to support world-class healthcare close to home for a growing and diverse population in the interior of B.C. Today, the KGH Foundation is the lead fundraising organization for Kelowna General Hospital, JoeAnna’s House, and Central Okanagan Hospice House, while also fundraising for vital community health care programs.

Media Contact:

Jessie Billey

Marketing and Communications Manager

KGH Foundation

t | 250-862-4300 x 27270

e| Jessie.Billey@interiorhealth.ca