RED FM’s Gurpurab Radiothon fundraiser has raised more than $955,000 for the Canadian Red Cross.
The annual radiothon has raised millions for the Surrey Hospitals Foundation redirected its donations to the Canadian Red Cross in the wake of historic flooding in B.C. last week.
A release from the station said the funds raised will help the Canadian Red cross “to carry our relief, recovery, resiliency, and risk reduction activities in and beyond the region at the individual community levels.”
On Saturday (Nov. 20), RED FM announced it had raised $955,000 for the Red Cross. The station started taking pledges from donors at 6 a.m. Friday and continued through to 10 p.m., surpassing the usual 12 hours.
RED FM’s president and CEO Kulwinder Sanghera said the South Asian and Punjabi communities “never cease to surprise me with their big hearts.”
“This community never gets tired of giving back and helping during difficult times.”
In addition to the funds raised for the Canadian Red Cross, $227,266 was also raised for the Surrey Hospitals Foundation. That’s a total of $1.18 million raised in one day.
In an update on the Surrey Hospitals Foundation’s website, it says that “due to the urgent need for flood relief assistance in the Fraser Valley region, Surrey Hospitals Foundation has asked that all funds from this year’s event be directed to the Canadian Red Cross who are coordinating relief efforts throughout the region.”
READ ALSO: In wake of flooding, annual radiothon supporting Surrey Hospitals Foundation now helping Red Cross, Nov. 19, 2021
Now in its 15th year, the RED FM Gurpurab Radiothon has raised more than $8.5 million for the Surrey Hospitals Foundation, including $710,000 last year.
“The priority for our community right now is looking after those who have experienced devastation and loss during this week’s flooding,” said Harp Dhillon, chair of the foundation’s board.
Dhillon said the board looks forward to continuing its annual fundraising with RED FM in the “near future.”
The Gurpurab Radiothon, hosted by 93.1 RED FM “is the most successful one-day Radiothon supporting a hospital in Canada.”
The radiothon is held annually in celebration of the birthdate of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the first of the 10 Sikh gurus.
lauren.collins@surreynowleader.com
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