Double-Decade Dedication
Langley Community Health & Hospital Foundation, and Langley Memorial Hospital itself, wouldn’t be the same without the community’s businesses and organizations that prioritize local health care in their giving. As we celebrate donors new and old, our long-term partners stand apart in their unwavering commitment.
Aldor Acres: 25 Years
Albert and Dorothy Anderson’s 80-acre farm is a popular family destination in Langley, complete with a petting zoo, a Christmas tree area, hayrides and a pumpkin patch.
Over generations the Anderson family has established its own traditions - namely, its commitment to philanthropy, and its shared dedication to community health care, equipment and programs at Langley Memorial Hospital.
Melissa Anderson, one of Albert and Dorothy’s 19 grandchildren, learned from her grandparents that getting involved means giving back to the community consistently.
“There’s a great history of Andersons entering the world at the hospital - there are upwards of two dozen of us who were born there,” says Melissa, who now works to maintain Aldor Acres with her partner Katie. “And my grandparents taught us, when you’re part of the community, you give.”
Cedar Rim Nursery: 26 Years
More than 33 years ago, Russ and Trudy Bruce and their young family moved Cedar Rim Nursery to where it stands now, and where it grows most of what it sells on its 150 acres.
Trudy Bruce and all four of the Bruce kids (and now even some of their grandchildren) were born at Langley Memorial Hospital, says Russ Bruce. “So, we have a strong affinity with it.”
Through sponsoring galas and events, donating gift certificates awarded at galas and significant donations, the Bruce family directs its gifts to the most urgent needs of the hospital. They’ve supported everything from the Foundation’s purchase of endoscopes used in essential cancer treatment, to the building of the Martini Family Emergency Department and the addition of four new cardiac telemetry monitors in the hospital’s critical care unit.
“Like every family, we’ve had good experiences with Langley Memorial, so we always thought, if you keep your donations pretty close to home, you’re helping those who are closest to you,” he says. “And you see the results right away, in your community.”
Lions Clubs: 26 Years
Dedicated to service, members of the Langley Lions Club Society have forged a meaningful partnership with Langley Memorial Hospital and the community. In its early days, the organization would organize food concessions at local festivals and events and donate funds to worthy non-profits.
In recent years, though, they’ve had much success with Saturday night meat draws. Attracting a crowd to the Artful Dodger Pub in Langley every week for a draw for high-quality meat is not a difficult task - particularly when the funds raised go to urgent needs at Langley Memorial Hospital.
The Langley Lions also manage and lease the 200-seat West Langley Hall from the Township of Langley, attracting partygoers from organizations as diverse as Boy Scouts, weddings and receptions, birthday bashes and celebrations of life.
They’ve responded to urgent needs and campaigns, and some of them have excellent timing: the Lions, with Lions Clubs International Foundation, Langley Lions Club, Fort Langley Lions Club and the Aldergrove Lions Club, helped the Foundation purchase a respirator mere months before the COVID-19 pandemic began, for instance.
“Our motto is ‘We Serve,’” says Mel Stokes, Secretary of the Langley Lions and manager of West Langley Hall. “We look at what we can do for the local community, and we see there are so many needs to be addressed here. Langley Memorial Hospital touches a lot of people’s lives, with so many people in need.”
TB Vets: 26 Years
Founded by veterans in 1946, TB Vets raises funds to provide equipment, education and research in respiratory health.
Over the decades Langley patients have had greater access to the treatment and care they need, thanks to donations from TB Vets’ fundraising and the Foundation’s partnership with them.
The organization is best-known for its emblematic key tags that allow donors to relocate their missing keys.
With individual gifts and by matching public donations from TB Vets, the Foundation has been able to secure 11 crash carts, several bronchoscopes, an MRI ventilator, two regular ventilators and an oxygen concentrator, among other essential equipment.
“Donors enthusiastically support TB Vets because our mission to provide respiratory equipment to hospitals across BC resonates with them,” says Kandys Merola, President and CEO of TB Vets. “Many donors have personally experienced respiratory issues or know someone who has benefited from the care provided by their community hospital.”