The Victoria Hospitals Foundation Visions gala raised a record amount Saturday night, bringing in $619,000 towards the purchase of 72 pieces of leading-edge surgical equipment for Royal Jubilee and Victoria General hospitals. Held at the Fairmont Empress Hotel, the event hosted 300 of Victoria’s health care and business leaders and raised funds through ticket sales, significant community sponsorships, a bear raffle, live and silent auctions and a pledge drive.
The celebratory evening was made special with a spirited performance from the eight-piece Vancouver band Side One, and a spectacular pledge drive that energized the room to come together and give thousands in cash donations towards the cause.
“The impact this event has on our community each year is astounding,” said Lise Gyorkos, chair of the Visions steering committee. “There was a current of positive energy in the room [Saturday] night. It was wonderful to watch a whole community come together to create such an incredible result.”
Visions is a major component of the Victoria Hospitals Foundation’s fall campaign, which this year aims to raise $1.8 million for critical surgical equipment. The campaign will benefit thousands of patients across 14 surgical specialties, including general and cardiac surgery, urology, gynecology, ear nose and throat surgery, thoracic surgery and ophthalmology surgery.
“Donor funding through the Victoria Hospitals Foundation allows us to leapfrog innovation,” said Dr. Paul Whelan, executive medical director of surgical services at Island Health. “In every area of care in our hospitals we have seen advancements in care that would not be possible without the support of donors in our community.”
Visions is one of Victoria’s longest running gala fundraisers. Since the Victoria Hospitals Foundation’s inaugural Visions gala back in 1991, this event has helped fund hundreds of pieces of leading-edge equipment and raised more than $7 million for the two local hospitals.
There are many ways to donate to the Victoria Hospitals Foundation including by mail, telephone or online. You can reach the Victoria Hospitals Foundation at 250-519-1750 or online at www.victoriahf.ca.