Hairsplitting good times raises money for kids
The fourth annual Bands, Burgers, Beers and Balding event took place on April 7 at the Laurel Packing House, raising an astonishing $48,713 for sick kids across British Columbia.
The donations will be split between the B.C. Children’s Hospital oncology ward and the perinatal unit at Kelowna General Hospital.
Event founder Bernie Ryan and his team — Adam Brockman, Friso Stolk and Emily McDonald — presented the KGH Foundation with a cheque for more than $22,000 to support the Better Together campaign to open JoeAnna’s House, a home away from home for the families of KGH patients from across B.C., many of which are children who have travelled for advanced medical care.
As the main referral hospital for over 750,000 residents of the British Columbia Interior, every year, hundreds of families from across the interior of B.C. must travel to KGH for specialized medical care. Finding affordable short-term accommodation close to the hospital has become increasingly difficult, especially during the summer.
“We see JoeAnna’s House as something really positive for our community,” says Ryan, who was awarded the Association of Fundraising Professionals most outstanding volunteer last year in Vancouver for his leadership in pediatric fundraising.
“JoeAnna’s House will be an immense relief for these families.”