Historical Gift from the Kiwanis Clubs of Kelowna Continues to Pay Dividends in the Community

Representatives from the Kiwanis Clubs of Kelowna present the KGH Foundation and Central Okanagan Foundation with a historic $4.5 million legacy gift back in 2017.

KELOWNA, BC, – September 16, 2022. It is a gift that keeps on giving – the Kiwanis Legacy Endowment Fund. This year, the Kiwanis Clubs of Kelowna celebrate 75 years in the community, and the disbursement of over half a million dollars to support local programs for children and youth.

In 2017, the Kiwanis Clubs of Kelowna donated $4 million to the KGH Foundation to benefit healthcare initiatives for children and youth in the Central Okanagan. This is the single largest gift the Kelowna General Hospital has received in its 114 year history of serving this community.

“The Kiwanis Legacy Fund is an endowed fund,” states Allison Ramchuk, CEO of the KGH Foundation. “Meaning that the investment guarantees annual proceeds to support the health and well-being of children and youth in our community, in perpetuity.”

Over half a dozen local organizations have received funding through the Kiwanis Legacy Fund over the past four years.

“I can’t tell you how excited we are – and proud that we have been able to help these organizations move forward and support children and youth in our community,” says Wendy Falkowski, Kiwanis Legacy Fund Committee Chair. “We are just delighted.”

In its first three years, the Kiwanis Legacy Fund disbursed $500,000 to local programs and services that support children and youth. For the 2022/23 fiscal year alone, the Fund has disbursed $546,500 – more than doubling the impact for community services in just one year.

Representatives from the Kiwanis Clubs of Kelowna present the KGH Foundation and Central Okanagan Foundation with a historic $4.5 million legacy gift back in 2017.

“This funding has made an immense difference for our clients,” says Amanda McFarlane, Executive Director for BrainTrust. “The Kiwanis Legacy Fund committee and the KGH Foundation have been very accommodating to the shifting needs of the population we serve.”

The following organizations received grants through the KGH Foundation Kiwanis Legacy Fund in the 2022-23 fiscal year: BGC Okanagan, the Child Advocacy Centre, CMHA Kelowna, Elizabeth Fry Society, KCR Community Resources, Interior Health (Adolescent Psychiatry Unit, McNair Unit and Pediatric Department), UBC Okanagan and the City of Kelowna.

CMHA Kelowna’s Foundry Wellness on Wheels, supported through the Kiwanis Legacy Fund.

Mike Gawliuk, CEO of CMHA Kelowna expresses his gratitude to the Kiwanis Clubs of Kelowna. “Thank you. Your investment has literally been life-changing – and in some cases, life-saving.”

Echoing Gawliuk’s sentiments is Ginny Becker, Executive Director for the Child Advocacy Centre, “This group [the Kiwanis Clubs of Kelowna] was willing to look through the lens of what could be…and it wouldn’t be…without them.”

“We are forever grateful to the Kiwanis Clubs of Kelowna for this historical gift,” says Ramchuk. “The Fund demonstrates an investment in our children and youth today, and for the future – their future, and that of our community.”

In celebration of the significant impact that the KGH Foundation Kiwanis Legacy Fund has made over the last four years, a video has been compiled highlighting the grant recipients and projects supported. Visit kghfoundation.com to learn more about the Kiwanis Legacy Fund and to watch the video.

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.