Saturday evening was date night for Jason and I, but it wouldn’t be our typical dinner and a movie routine.
I squeezed into a new LBT (little black dress that was on sale for $29 at Reitmans), Jason suited up and we headed for Abbotsford to attend the 4th Annual Gift of Love Gala — a celebration of community and philanthropy that benefits over 715 Canuck Place Children’s Hospital families.
Abbotsford Centre was transformed into the ultimate glitzy black tie affair, complete with twinkling white lights,an incredible meal, live entertainment, a unique live and silent auction, dancing, photo booth and more.
Canuck Place is expanding services in May 2018. The funds raised at this fabulous Valley fete will be supporting Canuck Place care, including the expansion of services out of Canuck Place — David Lede House in Abbotsford offering inpatient medical beds that complement the current services offered. This expansion also includes increased in-home care delivered across the province by the Canuck Place clinical team.
The Dave Lede House in Abbotsford house is the second provincial facility for Canuck Place. The design of this purpose-built facility kept the warm, family environment that has been welcoming children and their families to Canuck Place in Vancouver.
It can be a day, a month or years that a child and family need to utilize this facility. Currently, there are over 715 children and their families in this program, with around 44 percent residing right here in the Fraser Valley.
Care provided includes:
- Medical respite
- Pain & Symptom management
- Mobile outpatient services
- Perinatal, end-of-life, grief, loss and bereavement counselling (for parents and siblings).
- Art, music & recreational therapy and school
All of this is at no cost to families.
The house is located on a 1.5 acre site adjacent to Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre, and will form part of a Campus of Care with the Abbotsford Hospice Society’s Holmberg House (an adult hospice) and Matthew’s House (a respite home for children with complex health care needs) operated by Communitas Supportive Care Society.
Thanks to the generous support of our community of individuals, organizations, government, and corporate and community partners, Canuck Place Children’s Hospice is able to offer its services at no charge to the families who need them. Each year Canuck Place raises over 60 per cent of its annual operating budget with this support.
For more information, visit www.canuckplace.org.
Disclaimer: this is a sponsored post.
