The sold-out Celebration of Care gala raised more than $1.7 million for “equitable cardiac health care services” at Surrey Memorial Hospital.
Surrey Hospitals Foundation’s annual fundraiser filled Aria Convention Centre with close to 600 people on Saturday, Feb. 24, with a “Midnight at the Ballet” party theme.
Tables of 10 sold for $5,000, or $500 a ticket, for dinner, music by the band Dr. Strangelove, dancing, live auction, photo booths, a performance by Goh Ballet dancers and more.
“This event is the largest and most celebrated fundraising gala in Surrey, attracting a guest list of hundreds of Surrey’s business, community and medical luminaries,” boasted a post on surreyhospitalsfoundation.com/gala2024.
It’s been a “pivotal year” for health care in Surrey, according to Harp Dhillon, chair of Surrey Hospitals Foundation’s board of directors.
“Working with government, health care professionals, community members, and leaders who raised and addressed concerns, we turned a pivotal corner to help Surrey Memorial Hospital stand tall — a testament to the power of community,” Dhillon said in a news release.
“But our work is far from over. As our community continues to grow and evolve, so do the challenges we face in health care. Fundraising for cardiac care at the Celebration of Care gala, we took one step closer to make our dream come true — one of a fully-equipped, regional hospital for the community south of the Fraser River.”
The gala celebrated the foundation’s Cardiac Campaign lead donor, the Godwin Family, who honoured the late Dr. Tom Godwin, a pioneer cardiologist in the Fraser Health region.
Surrey Hospitals Foundation is considered the largest non-government funder of health care Surrey, to the tune of more than $210 million over the past three decades.
A year ago, during a “Sweet Escape”-themed gala, the 2023 event raised $2.4 million to benefit children’s mental and physical health services at the hospital. The total included a $1-million gift honouring the legacy and memory of auto dealer Sherrold Haddad, a longtime supporter of the foundation.