Light a Bulb Campaign Achieves Record Goal

In a year where so many things were uncertain, one thing remained unchanged: the generosity of our community and its commitment to supporting excellence in healthcare. The VJH Foundation is thrilled to announce that the annual Light a Bulb campaign raised more than $340,000 during their 2020 holiday campaign.

“Our supporters and North Okanagan residents ¬¬never cease to amaze me in their devotion to healthcare in our region. At a time when we know that many have been challenged in various ways, we are ecstatic to announce this record breaking total for our Light a Bulb campaign. And while we missed seeing many members of our community who make it a holiday tradition to stop in to our office to say hello and tell us stories about why they give, we were pleased to connect with others on the phone and via email. We truly do have such generous donors,” enthused Michael Kinghorn, VJH Foundation President, and Chair of the 2020 Light a Bulb Campaign.

The Medical Imaging Department at VJH is overjoyed to learn that from these funds an additional echocardiogram machine – a piece of equipment that produces an important and comprehensive ultrasound exam for physicians to learn about a patient's heart function – will be added to their equipment repertoire.

“Having this additional machine will enable us to significantly increase our capacity to do more echocardiograms for patients,” stated Justin Tait, Cardiac Sonographer at VJH. “Currently we have two machines that produce high quality images of the heart and assist us in analyzing many forms of heart disease. One machine is dedicated to performing exams for inpatients while the second machine is for outpatients. This third machine will help us keep up with ever-growing demand and to significantly reduce our wait-list for outpatients.” The campaign success and the surpassing of the fundraising target means the VJH Foundation can support the purchase of additional critical equipment for our hospital.