North Shore residents could be instrumental in improving the facilities at Lions Gate Hospital, all it takes on their part is simply putting one foot in front of the other.
Fitness focused event Step Up for LGH, part of the wider LGH week taking place between Oct. 1 and Oct. 16, will raise funds for new technology at the North Vancouver medical centre. Whether a five-kilometre run, a hike up Grouse Mountain or simply a stroll to the supermarket, any activity can help, assures LGH's vice-president, Louise Campbell.
"Everyone in our community is invited to sign up for the event, it's about counting your steps in any way you can. As long as they use a fitness tracker and log their progress, every little bit helps," she says.
Campbell hopes the event, presented in collaboration with North Shore bulk shipping company Neptune Terminals, will raise $10,000. All of which will be used to kit out the hospital with the latest gadgets as part of the new Technology Transformation Campaign.
Upgrades, including vital signs monitoring equipment and hands-free communication setup for staff, will be spread campus wide.
"We're hoping to purchase 10 of the latest medical technologies, supporting different areas across the Lions Gate Hospital campus."
Participants can donate directly or collect money through a donation page on the Lions Gate Hospital Foundation website, while those who have pounded the pavement can share their step stats with the foundation for a chance to win prizes. Anyone who raises more than $100 will already have a free gift in the bag.
Bolstering the efforts brought by those at LGH is a young North Shore philanthropist, who also hopes to raise funds for the hospital via a homegrown art exhibition.
Alicia's Art Space, by 10-year-old Mulgrave School student Alicia Wang, is a gallery inspired by the plight of the doctors and nurses of Lions Gate Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I really want to thank our heroes," explained Wang.
"I want to donate all the income from the exhibition to the hospital who have helped us,” she said, adding she wants to help “make the medical equipment better” and “cure the sick people.”
Campbell will be attending the gallery opening, and says the LGH team are "so grateful" for Wang making health care in her community "a priority."
The show's artworks will span everything from mythical creatures to human portraits, and open at True Colour Gallery, 978 Marine Drive, North Vancouver, on Sept. 16.
