Al Hildebrandt and his wife Irene announced Monday, Nov. 30, 2015 at the Kelowna RCMP detachment they would donate $100,000 to Cops for Kids.
(ADAM PROSKIW / iNFOnews.ca)
November 30, 2015 - 6:30 PM
KELOWNA – The Cops for Kids charity have received their largest single donation from a local businessman.
Al Hildebrandt announced today, Nov. 30, he would donate $100,000 to the Southern Interior charity that helps parent of kids requiring medical treatment.
Hildebrandt is the recently retired CEO of a Kelowna tech company that supplies medical record keeping software. The donation sets a new benchmark for the 15-year-old charity that uses a 1,000 km cycling fundraiser every September.
Cops for Kids president Gail Harrison says they expect to top $500,000 raised in one year, thanks in large part to Hildebrandt.
Hildebrandt, himself a former RCMP officer, says he chose Cops for Kids because he knows every dollar raised goes to helping kids.
“Once you’re a cop you’re always a cop,” he says. “But they’re really running a very good charity.”
The money will go to helping parents take time off work to be with their kids while in hospital or for mobility equipment like wheelchairs.
“We run a fairly well balanced gifting program for assisting children in crisis,” Harrison said at a media conference at the Kelowna RCMP detachment this morning. “We will have no problem putting this money to work.”
Last year the charity had to turn down 52 grant applications. Harrison says that likely won’t happen this year, although she admits the donation will likely result in more applications from parents who need help.
“It’s very hard to say no to these families,” she says.
To make a donation visit the Cops for Kids website.
To contact the reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw at aproskiw@infonews.ca or call 250-718-0428. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2015