In this contributed photo from left to right, Bruce McAuliffe, Siobhan McManus, John Kot, Guy Lemieux, Naleesa Gonsalves, Janessa Kot
Image Credit: Contributed
June 07, 2015 - 3:51 PM
KELOWNA - John Kot, president of Kelowna Hyundai and Buy Direct Truck Centre has announced a $100,000 donation towards the Be a Lifesaver campaign, raising funds for the new Interior Heart & Surgical Centre.
To date the campaign has raised $10.8 million towards lifesaving surgical equipment at the surgical centre, which will serve the B.C. Interior's 750,000 residents and is set to open in September 2015.
The gift comes at the end of their 2nd annual Operation 200 campaign. The goal of Operation 200 is to sell 200 vehicles between both dealerships, in 30 days, resulting in a donation of $20,000. In order to reach their goal, both dealerships have marked down all cars, trucks and SUVs by thousands to guarantee they reach their target.
For Kot, it’s a cause that is close to the heart. At a young age, his daughter Janessa required lifesaving heart surgery. Now 19 years old, Janessa is healthy, but will need another surgery to fix her heart valve – a procedure which will likely take place in Kelowna instead of having to travel out of town.
“Supporting the local community is important to our business, and after three successful years of business under our management, the residents of Kelowna have been nothing but welcoming and we look forward to giving back,” said John Kot. “We are honoured to support the Kelowna General Hospital Foundation in their efforts to provide the highest level of medical care in Kelowna and the Okanagan.”
The surgical centre will be a state of the art facility featuring 15 surgical operating suites for 12 surgical specialities including advanced open-heart surgery. It will provide timely, much needed surgeries to patients who in the past may have had to travel outside the region for this level of health care. While the surgical centre’s government funding is substantial, not all costs are covered; new equipment and enhanced services are needed.
For more information or to get involved, visit bealifesaver.net.
News from © iNFOnews, 2015