Mission All Together for Healthcare (MATH) is $100,000 closer to bringing a CT Scanner to Mission Memorial Hospital following the Lanka Jewels raffle fundraiser.
The prize was a $20,000 five-carat diamond bracelet, but the winners at JFH Insurance and Investment Services in Abbotsford decided to give the prize back for a second round of fundraising.
JFH’s John Hakkarainen, who grew up in Mission, said when the 12 $100 tickets were bought, their team was only thinking about the donation part. He said he didn’t even know how much the bracelet was worth.
The team of eight employees made the decision beforehand to not take the bracelet, Hakkarainen said.
“Everybody feels good about it,” he said. “It’s an important cause.”
But they will not walk away empty handed. They’ve all been given $1,000 gift cards to Lanka Jewels, said store owner and MATH board member, Ken Selvaraja.
He said MATH will wait and work out a suitable occasion for another fundraiser for the bracelet.
“It all goes back to the community,” Selvaraja said, adding they have raised nearly $500,000 now.
The raffle sold 830 tickets, raising $83,000, but Selvaraja’s family put in an additional $17,000 to make it an even $100,000.
“Ken has got such a big heart,” Hakkarainen said.
The province has already approved $7.3 million in funding for the CT Scanner, but another $1.1 million is needed from the Fraser Valley Health Care Foundation.
RELATED: New CT scanner approved for Mission Regional Hospital
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