The Victoria Hospitals Foundation’s annual Visions gala raised a record $2.51 million for medical-imaging equipment at Royal Jubilee and Victoria General hospitals.
The funds will support the foundation’s $11-million Imaging is Power campaign, launched in October, which has now raised $5 million.
The campaign aims to fund upgrades for three MRI machines and the purchase of a CT scanner, a SPECT/CT Scanner and a C-Arm for Royal Jubilee and Victoria General, which serve as the referral sites for all advanced care on Vancouver Island.
The event at the Fairmont Empress Hotel and Victoria Conference Centre Saturday attracted a sold-out crowd of 600, including community leaders and health-care staff.
“We are touched by the generosity of our community, who united to lift up care teams and the patients they so selflessly serve each day in our Victoria hospitals,” said foundation chief executive Avery Brohman.
The money was raised through ticket sales, corporate sponsorships, live and silent auctions, and a donation-matching contribution from Townline Homes, a real-estate development company in Victoria and Vancouver.
That was followed by a $500,000 gift from a local couple who wished to remain anonymous.
There were also three pledges of $100,000 made by Visions Committee chair Charlotte Salomon, a group of Victoria radiologists, and Clint and Carole Forster.
“Remarkable gifts presented throughout the evening made the 31st anniversary of Visions one for the record books, and one that will be impactful for our hospitals,” Salomon said. “Our whole community gains from the generosity espoused by the sponsors and guests of Visions.”
Guests heard several presentations during the gala, including one from Rahul Ray, who has multiple sclerosis and has benefited greatly from MRIs and the work of the MS Clinic at Royal Jubilee. Dr. Kristen Atwell-Pope spoke about her work as a neurologist and medical director for brain health on Vancouver Island.
For more information about Imaging is Power and to donate, visit victoriahf.ca/imaging, call 250-519-1750, or mail a donation to Wilson Block, 1952 Bay Street, Victoria, B.C., V8R 1J8.
