Transformative Gift Supports Equipment Purchase for Cowichan’s New Hospital
We are so grateful today for an extraordinary gift from the community to our new hospital campaign. At an event hosted at the BC Forestry Centre in North Cowichan, attended by representatives from provincial and municipal government, local First Nations, and community members, the Board of Cowichan Lake Community Forest Cooperative presented a cheque to CDHF Board Chair David Robertson. The $200,000 donation is the largest ever made by the group, who felt inspired by the current matching donation campaign which will see their donation doubled.
A second, significant donation was presented from Qala:yit Forestry, jointly owned by the Forest Co-operative and the Pacheedaht First Nation. Their $50,000 gift was gratefully received by the CDHF. The combined $250,000 donated will be doubled thanks to the pledge from Jimmy Pattison to match donations up to five million dollars in support of purchasing medical equipment for Cowichan’s new hospital. Today’s donation will add half a million dollars to the new hospital fundraising campaign.
Lorne Scheffer, Cowichan Lake Community Forest Cooperative Board Chair, shared the impetus for the donation, the largest the group has ever made: “We are grateful to Mr. Pattison for his offer to match donations to the Cowichan District Hospital Foundation, an offer that gave us an extra incentive to step up and make the donation we are announcing today. This is a unique opportunity, and we hope other interests in Cowichan will follow suit. This new hospital is a one-in-a-generation opportunity to help ensure it is equipped with the best technology we can afford.”
CDHF Board Chair, David Robertson, summed up the feelings of the whole CDHF Board: “We were stunned and incredibly grateful when we learned of this significant donation from Cowichan Lake Community Forest Cooperative and Qala:yit. To receive funds like this is a true testament to the strength of our community and demonstrates how important exceptional healthcare is to those who live and work in the Cowichan Valley. We feel sure that others will be inspired by this transformational gift and thank everyone involved for their commitment to the future of our new hospital.”
