The sound of breaking asphalt was music to the ears of the crowd gathered today at the corner of Abbott Street and Royal Avenue in Kelowna.
After years of dreaming, planning and fundraising, the KGH Foundation has finally broken ground on its beloved project, JoeAnna’s House.
The centre will be a home-away-from-home for families travelling to Kelowna to receive healthcare.
“This will be a great resource for people who often are in their darkest times, chasing an ambulance coming to KGH,” said Doug Rankmore, CEO of the KGH Foundation.
One in four beds at KGH is occupied by non-local patients and the expense of accommodations in Kelowna can put a serious strain on families, making JoeAnna’s House a necessity for many families.
Jaclyn Robertson is a Kelowna resident who learned first-hand the struggles families go through when they live out-of-town and require medical attention for their loved ones. Her first son was born two months premature and she spent plenty of time at the neonatal intensive care unit.
“I spent six weeks with other moms who aren’t from Kelowna, who are travelling from all over B.C., and who didn’t have their family by their side at this vulnerable time of life,” Robertson said. “And I shared their tears.”
Robertson is one of many locals supporting this project.
“This is a house that was built by Kelowna,” Rankmore said. “This is a house that was built on good feelings.”
The KGH Foundation’s fundraising goal was ambitious: $8 million to get the centre up and running.
Terry Schneider, the president of Prestige Hotels and Resorts, and the rest of his family, the Hubers, have raised about $1.85 million, helping the foundation meet the lofty goal.
“You wonder sometimes if it will ever get there and, actually, it’s happened faster than we thought. The support of this community has been unbelievable,” Schneider said.
JoeAnna’s House will have 20 bedrooms, including three wheelchair accessible rooms, as well as common space like a communal kitchen, dining and living room.
“We hope that families will get to know each other and support each other,” Rankmore said.
The team is hoping to have JoeAnna’s House up and running before Christmas 2019.
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