Auto dealers donate $20,000 to hospital

For the third straight year, two Kelowna auto dealerships have made a sizable donation to the Interior Heart and Surgical Centre at Kelowna General Hospital.

Operation 200 kicked off in May and, together, Kelowna Hyundai and Buy Direct Truck Centre met this year’s goal of selling 200 vehicles to raise $20,000.

The donation is part of an ongoing commitment to eventually raise $100,000 for KGH’s new Interior Heart and Surgical Centre (IHSC). The cause is close to owner John Kot’s heart, as his own daughter, now 21, has battled a heart condition since birth.

“Having the ability to help our hospital provide worldclass care for families locally is really gratifying,” says Kot. “Each year brings us closer to our overall goal. We are really proud of our team and our customers for getting behind such an important cause.”

The gift will go toward the purchase of life-saving equipment and patient care items for the IHSC, which provides advanced cardiac care and surgical services to patients who, in the past, would have had to travel outside the region.

Ignoring a fire ban proved costly to a resident of Okanagan Falls. The OK Falls fire department responded to a burning complaint on July 18 where they discovered open burning.

The fire was immediately extinguished and the homeowner issued a violation ticket of $1,150.