Members of the Khalsa Diwan Society Port Alberni presented a cheque for $200,000 to the West Coast General Hospital Foundation on Wednesday, Dec. 22.
The funding came from the sale of the Khalsa Diwan Society’s gurdwara on 12th Avenue.
The Khalsa Diwan Society was founded in 1906 in Vancouver. Over the years, the society branched out to other communities in B.C., including Port Alberni. The temple on 12th Avenue was built in 1962, but as congregation numbers diminished, the society was forced to close the building and sell it.
Malkiat Singh Dhami, president of the Khalsa Diwan Society Vancouver, said Port Alberni society members thought this donation would be the best way to honour those who built the gurdwara.
“This way, their memories will be alive forever,” he said. “As long as the hospital is there, the name will be there.”
The donation will go towards the WCGH Foundation’s fundraiser for the hospital’s emergency department expansion.
According to Chris Francey, business director for the WCGH Foundation, the Khalsa Diwan Society will have four different areas named after them in the hospital’s new emergency department.
elena.rardon@albernivalleynews.com
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