Every year, first and second year students from our MD program raise money in support of rural health care through events like the Run for Rural Medicine, the Rural Cookbook and Med Play. Typically, the monies are dispersed amongst various organizations throughout the province.
L-R: Sheery Hu (Vancouver Fraser Medical Program 2015 Class President), Leslie Lui (Hope Air), Cathy Merchant (VFMP 2015 Class Treasurer).
This year, the class of 2015 decided to pool funds into one large donation, with the goal of making a greater impact.
Hope Air is a nation-wide charity that arranges free flights for low-income patients needing access to specialized healthcare. They serve people of all ages, with all illnesses, from all across Canada. Last year, 6,091 free flights were provided, with 70 per cent of flights occurring in B.C.
The students donated $9,292.92, which will result in almost 40 flights for individuals who need travel to healthcare in British Columbia.
“The more we learned about Hope Air and the services they provide to get people to the care they need, the more we wanted to support their work,” says Sherry Hu, 2015 Class President. “Getting to the care you need shouldn’t require days off work, high travel costs, or large amounts of stress: Hope Air makes it easy.”
Leslie Louie, Donor Relations Officer with Hope Air, accepted the gift from the students at a presentation in early May.
“Living in the Metro Vancouver Area, it is easy for us to take for granted the access we have to world-class healthcare,” Louie said. “Yet for many families in northern and interior BC areas, accessing such care is a huge challenge. “
The students agree and are delighted to be able to make such an incredible impact for rural British Columbians.