The South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation’s annual fundraising campaign will raise money for the expansion of the Penticton Regional Hospital.
Janice Perrino, executive director of the foundation, said the 10th annual Tree of Dreams campaign is the first of what will be a five-year campaign to raise $20 million.
The money will be used to fund the medical equipment in the new Patient Care Tower at the hospital.
“Never have we asked the community to give at this level, but this is our new hospital,” Perrino said. “It’s a new beginning. We will never build another hospital in our generation, making this truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to support PRH and leave a profound legacy.”
The hospital was constructed in 1953, when Penticton had a population of 10,500. Today, it serves 91,000 residents of the South Okanagan and Similkameen.
“This expansion is vital,” Perrino said. “Health care services today require more technology in diagnostic equipment and treatment than ever before.”
Each donation to the campaign lights more bulbs on the Tree of Dreams, on the roof of Penticton Regional Hospital.
To donate, mail a cheque to the SOS Medical Foundation, 550 Carmi Avenue, Penticton B.C., V2A 3G6; stop by the Foundation office beside the front lobby at hospital; phone 250-492-9027; or donate online at www.sosmedicalfoundation.com.
