Kamloops locals, James and Jessie Fedorak, are well-known in the community as educators and philanthropists.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED / RIH Foundation
October 23, 2020 - 1:00 PM
Kamloops couple James and Jessie Fedorak marked their wedding anniversary with a generous act of charity that will benefit the community for years to come.
On the day of their 60th wedding anniversary, the pair donated $250,000 to the Royal Inland Hospital's Patient Care Tower.
The funds will go directly towards resources for the new operating room.
“We were regular contributors to the Foundation, but we stepped up our contribution amount after we attended a meeting requesting funds for a nine station microscope," James Fedorak said.
The microscope is used for earlier detection of breast cancer, and is also capable of examining data from the regional hospitals as well as Royal Inland Hospital, he said.
"To us, this emphasized how important it is to keep up with new technology. The additional funds that we decided to donate allowed us, through the Foundation, to obtain the latest and greatest equipment."
The couple have long been supporters of the hospital, and their donations over the years total over $500,000.
“James and Jessie Fedorak have been friends of the Foundation since the 1980s," Royal Inland Hospital Foundation CEO Heidi Coleman said.
"Their gifts have allowed for various equipment purchases, which have made treatment faster, easier, and more effective for thousands of patients over the years.”
The couple met and married in 1960, and moved to Jessie's hometown of Kamloops from Edmonton in 1971.
Before he retired, James served as the Dean of Continuing Education and Community Services at Cariboo College, now Thompson Rivers University, for 10 years before moving to the Ministry of Forests. During this time, Jessie worked as a substitute teacher.
James has also served on many community and service Boards, and is currently Board Advisor to the Kamloops Society of Alcohol and Drug Services’ Phoenix Centre.
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