Donations to Vernon Jubilee Hospital Foundation matched up to $250,000 this GivingTuesday

On Tuesday, December 3, double your impact with your gift to help expand ultrasound services at VJH

The Vernon Jubilee Hospital Foundation’s annual holiday fundraiser is back and this year, Light A Bulb is raising funds to create a new and expanded Ultrasound department at VJH.

This coming Tuesday, December 3, the Foundation is thrilled to once again participate in GivingTuesday and announce an exciting matching gift opportunity to increase access to healthcare. All Light A Bulb donations received this Tuesday will be matched up to $250,000.

“GivingTuesday is an annual global movement, aimed at harnessing the generosity and power of people around the world to bring about real change in their communities,” says Kate McBrearty, Executive Director of the VJH Foundation.

“This year, we are excited to give our donors the opportunity to increase their impact because of the community spirit, drive and tremendous generosity of an amazing couple. Together, we’ll be creating a state-of-the-art regional Ultrasound department at our hospital. Every dollar makes a difference in the lives of people in our community who need access to medical imaging.”

This extraordinary opportunity to double your impact is thanks to a generous matching donation from Kurt and Jutta Knuever – founders and former owners of Vernon-based tekmar Control Systems.

The Knuevers started tekmar in Essen, Germany in 1963 as an applied electronics manufacturer of controls. When they immigrated to Canada in 1980, they established North American operations in Vernon. Over the following 30 years they grew to a staff of more than 60 employees.

“My parents’ love of technology and business experience was significant, and they took the risks to invest in local employees in order to create controls appropriate for North America,” says the Knuever’s daughter, Ulrike Gibbs, who, along with her brother and her husband, managed the family business prior to its sale in 2012.

“Their desire to make strategic investments, their care for our community, and their passion for technology makes their support of Vernon Jubilee Hospital’s ultrasound expansion a natural fit.”

As part of VJH’s Ultrasound Expansion project, the size of existing ultrasound rooms will be increased, making it easier to accommodate stretchers and do inpatient exams. A more efficient layout will improve patient turnaround times and staff efficiencies. The expansion will result in a net gain of two new rooms and two new ultrasound machines that will add more than 5,000 new scans each year.

"This expansion project will create an Ultrasound department with the capacity to meet the needs of patients today, and for the next 20 years,” says McBrearty. “Extra ultrasound capacity means quicker access, faster diagnoses and better outcomes.”