Family kicks off fundraising campaign for JoeAnna’s House
A kind-hearted Kelowna family has donated $1 million toward the construction of a multi-family residence on the hospital grounds.
The Huber family has kick-started fundraising for the $8-million project, to be known as JoeAnna's House in honour of the late Josef and Anna Huber.
The 20-suite, 10,000-square-foot residence near the corner of Abbott Street and Royal Avenue on what is now a parking lot, is expected to open in late 2019. It will be used by the out-of-town families of people receiving treatment at Kelowna General Hospital.
At any given time, one out of four beds at KGH is occupied by a patient from outside the greater Kelowna area.
Last week, when her baby was born seven weeks premature, Creston resident Lisa Dear and her son Zach were sent to Kelowna.
“I was told to pack my bags for two days,” Dear said in a release. “I had no idea we would be in Kelowna for five weeks while Zach was in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit).
“Having JoeAnna’s House would have meant the world to me and my family and would have alleviated so much of the hardship we experienced during that incredibly difficult time.”
For many families, the cost of finding short-term accommodation in Kelowna while a loved one receives treatment can be “overwhelming”, says Gail Harrison, president of Cops for Kids, an organization that has financially helped families like the Dears.
Donations toward JoeAnna’s House can be made at the KGH Foundation website.