Dr. Djavad Mowafaghian donates $4 million to build daycare centre at BC Children's Hospital

Daycare groundbreaking a milestone in larger BC Children's Hospital site transformation

VANCOUVER, Nov. 22, 2012 /CNW/ - BC Children's Hospital Foundation announced a $4-million gift from Vancouver businessman and philanthropist Dr. Djavad Mowafaghian, OBC, to build the Djavad Mowafaghian Daycare Centre, an important step in the redevelopment of the BC Children's Hospital site. The announcement took place during a groundbreaking ceremony for the daycare, the construction of which will be funded by this gift to the foundation's $200-million capital campaign, the Campaign for BC Children. This is Dr. Mowafaghian's second multi-million dollar gift to BC Children's Hospital. In 2007 he provided $6 million to fund an extensive renovation of the Oncology Outpatient Clinic and other clinics at the hospital.

"Children are our future. I believe that anything I can do to support the health and education of children will deliver rewards to those children later in life, and to society as a whole," said Dr. Mowafaghian. "The staff at BC Children's Hospital do important work and I hope that by helping to care for their children, I am helping them to care for others."

Construction of the 7,373-sq.ft. daycare centre, which will have spaces for 49 children, including 12 infants, 12 toddlers and 25 preschoolers, is yet another important step in the transformation of the hospital site. The daycare will provide a long-sought-after child-care resource for hospital staff and area residents.

"I warmly applaud Dr. Djavad Mowafaghian's commitment to the well-being of children," said Health Minister Dr. Margaret MacDiarmid. "Our government shares his desire to put children and families first and ensuring that BC's children and families have the specialized services they deserve at BC Children's Hospital."

When the daycare centre opens in early 2014, it will accept the children of staff who work on the site as well as from families in the surrounding neighbourhood.

"Dr. Mowafaghian has spoken from the heart yet again. He has already improved the hospital experience of thousands of children with cancer and other conditions, and is now doing something that will directly and indirectly touch the lives of many more," said Teri Nicholas, president and CEO of BC Children's Hospital Foundation. "We hope that Dr. Mowafaghian's generosity will inspire others to step forward and support the construction of the new BC Children's Hospital."

BC Children's Hospital Foundation has now passed the $152-million mark in the Campaign for BC Children and continues to ask for support from the community to raise the remaining $48 million and complete the campaign.

About the Campaign for BC Children
Priorities of the Campaign for BC Children include construction of a new hospital - including an Emergency Department, Diagnostics and Imaging, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Operating Suites and patient rooms; the relocation of childhood development and rehabilitation services from Sunny Hill Health Centre in East Vancouver to the Oak Street home of BC Children's, and Child Health BC, a BC Children's Hospital initiative that is building pediatric care capacity throughout the province, BC Children's Hospital Foundation launched the Campaign for BC Children in April 2008. To date, BC Children's Hospital Foundation has received campaign donations from thousands of British Columbians in 270 BC communities. The community has contributed in excess of $152 million to date toward the $200-million campaign.

About BC Children's Hospital
BC Children's Hospital is the province's only full-service acute-care hospital dedicated to serving close to one million children living in BC and the Yukon. All children who are seriously ill or injured are referred to Children's Hospital and are either treated at the hospital facility in Vancouver or, with consultation from Children's specialists, in their home community. Last year, more than 81,000 children were treated at Children's Hospital. In 2011-12 BC Children's Hospital Foundation received donations from more than 140,000 people and had revenues of $83 million. Funds raised by the foundation are used to support BC Children's Hospital, Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children and the Child & Family Research Institute. For more information visit www.bcchf.ca and follow @BCCHF on Twitter.

SOURCE: BC Children's Hospital Foundation

Stephen Forgacs
BC Children's Hospital Foundation
Tel: [phone]
Cell: 604.719.4381
Email: [email protected]