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PHOTOS: Sold-out Surrey party raises $1.35M in ‘Celebration of Care’ at hospital

Hollywood-style event attracted close to 700 people to Aria Convention Centre
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Surrey Hospital Foundation officials and others at the 2020 Celebration of Care Gala, held Saturday (Feb. 22) at Aria Banquet Centre in Surrey. (submitted photo)

Nearly 700 people filled a Surrey banquet hall Saturday night (Feb. 22) for the fifth-annual Celebration of Care Gala in support of Surrey Hospital Foundation.

The sold-out party raised more than $1.35M for equipment purchases for the region’s largest and busiest surgical centre, at Surrey Memorial Hospital.

The Hollywood-style gala, held at Aria Convention Centre, featured emcees Keri Adams and Jason Pires, party band Dr. Strangelove, DJs Chloe and Pri, auctioneer Fred Lee, “red carpet correspondent” Nira Arora and dinner served by Peake of Catering. Tables of eight were priced at $3,000.

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• RELATED STORY, from Dec. 2019: 600-plus expected at ‘Celebration of Care’ gala in Surrey.

The money raised will help renovate 10 operating rooms at Surrey Memorial Hospital, “helping to attract and retain top surgical talent,” according to event organizers. In 2018, the facility performed 21,240 surgeries, including more than 1,200 on children.

Jane Adams, president and CEO of Surrey Hospital Foundation, called the gala “a great success. In the past five years our gala guests have raised over $10 million for Surrey Memorial Hospital,” Adams said in a news release. “This year’s gala was about excellence. It was about supporting the excellent surgeons we have in Surrey, and attracting more. In the race for exceptional medical talent, Surrey must win. Our residents deserve the very best.”

This year’s gala committee was led by chair Sonia Virk, of Virk Viyas and Associate Lawyers, and supported by 40-plus sponsors, including Berezan Group and EllisDon as presenting sponsors. Details are posted to surreyhospitalfoundation.com/gala.

Meantime, a two-weekend Winter Festival at Guildford Town Centre raised nearly $7,000 for Surrey Memorial Hospital’s Children’s Health Centre, from Feb. 7 to 17. In total, 8,787 people visited the mall’s inaugural festival, which included an outdoor rink and $5 skate rentals, with proceeds going to the Surrey Hospital Foundation’s funding raising campaign for the children’s centre.



tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com

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Tom Zillich

About the Author: Tom Zillich

I cover entertainment, sports and news stories for the Surrey Now-Leader, where I've worked for more than half of my 30-plus years in the newspaper business.
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