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RADIO RED FM: SOUTH ASIAN COMMUNITY CHIPS IN MORE THAN $625,000 FOR SURREY HOSPITAL IN ONE DAY |
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The South Asian community stunned the mainstream community and misguided critics when it contributed more than $625,000 in 16 hours to Surrey Memorial Hospital Foundation's Emergency Centre Campaign.
The money was raised by Radio Red 93.1 FM during an all-day radiothon on Friday last week. Red FM has pledged to raise $2 million through a series of fundraising events beginning with this radiothon.
On November 15, it was announced that the main entry to the new Emergency Centre will be named the Guru Nanak Emergency Services Front Entrance, in recognition of the South Asian community's contributions to the Foundation throughout the years.
Red FM's president Kulwinder Sanghera said: "The generosity of our community in just one day is overwhelming. This is the largest single day fundraising event in the Foundation's 15-year history. We want to thank the community for their support and hope they will continue to suppport Red FM in all its good causes. Red FM is a community radio station and we have once again proved it."
The radiothon kicked off at 6 a.m. and wrapped up at 10 pm. Even before the radiothon started, community members started their pledges and continued even after it got over. "I am personally so touched with the support that we received. I am very proud of our community," Sanghera said.
"There were kids who got their piggy banks to be donated to the foundation, there were taxi drivers and truck drivers who pledged their whole day's income. It was so overwhelming to watch all this. At night, we had this group of electricians who got together and raised $26,000. There is no end of such heart-warming stories."
Surrey Memorial Hospital's current ER - the busiest in B.C. - was originally designed to handle about 44,000 visits a year but has instead been seeing close to 70,000 patients a year.
The new Emergency Centre, at triple the size of the current facility, will include a separate children's ER, as well as a separate mental health and addictions area, an enhanced minor treatment unit, and an improved area for acute patients.
The B.C. government has committed to funding the essentials of a replacement to Surrey Memorial Hospital's current E.R. The Foundation's $15-million campaign will ensure the new Emergency Centre is state-of-the-art.
"The generosity of the South Asian community in just one day is overwhelming," said Foundation President / CEO Jane Adams. "This is the largest single day fundraising event in the Foundation's 15 year history. Red FM provided the outlet for an amazing number of people to show their support for Surrey Memorial Hospital and the new Emergency Centre."
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