23rd annual For Children We Care gala raises funds for Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children Enhancement Initiative

For Children We Care,  Sunny Hill Health Centre

February 17, 2018 – VANCOUVER, BC – Leaders from BC’s Chinese-Canadian community helped to raise over $3,371,688 at the 23rd For Children We Care gala, presented by Peterson. Over 730 guests attended the spectacular event, held at the Vancouver Convention Centre on Saturday evening. This year’s gala raised funds for the Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children Enhancement Initiative, which seeks to raise $12 million to help create and enhance a state-of-the-art environment for Sunny Hill’s unique patient populations through highly innovative technology, purpose-built spaces, specialized equipment and programs.

“We are very grateful to the Chinese Canadian community for their leadership, and longtime commitment to excellence in pediatric healthcare.”

— Teri Nicholas, president and CEO of the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation

“We are very grateful to the Chinese Canadian community for their leadership, and longtime commitment to excellence in pediatric healthcare,” said Teri Nicholas, president and CEO of the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation. “Funds raised at this year’s gala will help revolutionize care for children with developmental and significant rehabilitation needs through the Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children Enhancement Initiative. This initiative will ensure that generations of children and families in need of specialized care and services will have a facility that is one of the best in the country.”

As the only children’s rehabilitation facility of its kind in the province, every year thousands of children and their families from 250 communities across BC come to Sunny Hill seeking assessments, diagnoses and rehabilitation for a wide range of conditions affecting their development. Sunny Hill is often the next step in the health care journey for children and their families once their acute medical issues are cared for at BC Children’s Hospital.

In late 2019, Sunny Hill will relocate from East Vancouver to the hospital campus on Oak Street, improving care and reducing the travel burden for families. The relocation will make BC Children’s Hospital one of the few pediatric sites in North America with an acute care facility, research institute, mental health facility and rehabilitation centre, all on the same campus.

More than 730 guests attended the black-tie event, emceed by Rogers Media’s Steve Darling and Phoenix TV’s Lisa Wu. Evening performers included Mr. Yihuai Wen from Chongqing, China, a celebrated facechanging master (Bian Lian), and ten year old international singing sensation Angelica Hale. Best known as the first runner up on Season 12 of America’s Got Talent, Angelica was four years old when she developed a bacterial infection in her lungs that led to double pneumonia and caused kidney failure. After nearly three months in hospital, Angelica defied the odds and received a kidney transplant.