Surrey and White Rock firefighters recently donated $35,000 to Peace Arch Hospital to support mental health care.
The Surrey Fire Fighters Charitable Society and White Rock Firefighters Charity Association made the donation after being inspired by Manjit Lit’s $100,000 matching gift.
Last month, Lit donated $400,000 to four Lower Mainland charitable organizations, $100,000 of which went to the Peace Arch Hospital Foundation.
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The firefighters are now the leading matching donors, pushing the funds raised to support mental health care at Peace Arch Hospital to more than $200,000 so far.
“Our local firefighters support the community both in their work and with their philanthropy,” said PAH Foundation executive director Stephanie Beck. “Their generosity and commitment to both White Rock and Surrey is extraordinary. We are so grateful for everything they do.”
According to a news release from the Foundation, mental health has been at the forefront of the firefighters’ philanthropy as they witness their colleagues often struggle with mental and emotional demands of the job.
The firefighters previous joint gift of $500,000 went to support a new Mental Health Care and Substance Abuse Zone, which is slated to open in summer 2020 and will be located within the Peace Arch Hospital’s new ER.