Generous donation to hospital care tower fund

PENTICTON – A local businessman has provided a big boost to the South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation’s $20 million fundraising effort.

David Kampe, owner of the Peters Brothers Group of Companies, became the first major individual donor with his $2 million donation to the new patient care tower at Penticton Regional Hospital.

Kampe said he wants his donation to help ensure top quality health care for residents in the region for decades to come, and hopes it will spur others to do the same.

“While there aren’t enough words to say ‘thank you’ it is important for the public to know what an incredible hero David Kampe is for our entire region,” said hospital foundation executive director Janice Perrino.

“He has quietly supported so many things in our communities and I have never met anyone more determined to make sure every person in our region has the best health care possible, right in Penticton, for decades to come,” she said.

In 2011 Kampe donated a one hectare parcel of land at Industrial Avenue and Camrose Street, just south of the hospital. That donation was worth $1.5 million.

The new patient care tower will include surgical rooms, ambulatory care clinics and 84 single patient rooms. The second phase of the project will enlarge the emergency department to almost four times the size of the existing emergency facility.

The foundation will provide $20 million towards the total cost of the approximate $325-million project.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Steve Arstad at sarstad@infonews.ca or call 250-488-3065. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

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17 responses

  1. Thank you from the bottom of my heart….You have always been such a hugs supporter of this community….

  2. Thank you so much. We as a family enjoy all the hockey, fireworks, and certainly love our hospital andall that work there to help us all. Blessings to you as you bless us all. ??

  3. Hopethe new hospital wing is named after this wonderful man!

  4. This wonderful man does so much for this community and doesn’t want any credit!

  5. Wonderful gift Dave Thank you!

  6. Thank you your generosity is truly an inspiraton to others.

  7. Monica N Dan Moran

    Dear Mr. Kampe, your wonderful generosity, and caring for your friends and neighbors of Penticton, will always be remembered and greatly appreciated. Thankyou so much,sir!

  8. Michael Burghardt

    Thank you Mr. Kampe for all you do for our community, it is very noticed. You are an awesome role model for every business man.Thanks

  9. That is fantastic.I’ve seen how much this man donates to the community from parades, to hockey, to Elvis Festival, to Peach festival and so on…. Thank you Mr. Kampe you are a true role model.

  10. Joanne O'Connell

    Thank you Mr Kampe – what an incredibly generous gift!

  11. Carol Finlayson

    God Bless.

  12. Thank you, very much appreciated.

  13. Dan McHale

    An outstanding citizen of this community…hats off to you sir!

  14. Judith M Haynes

    What an awesome gesture ! Thank-you so very much Mr. Kampe

  15. What an incredible gift.so generous. Its people like this gentleman who are concerned about giving of themselves, the gift of life for others! Truly “paying it forward”.

  16. Verna DeMerchant

    Thank you Mr. Kampe.You are so good to the people of Penticton and District.

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Steve Arstad

I have been looking for news in the South Okanagan - SImilkameen for 20 years, having turned a part time lifelong interest into a full time profession. After five years publishing a local newsletter, several years working as a correspondent / stringer for several local newspapers and seven years as editor of a Similkameen weekly newspaper, I joined iNFOnews.ca in 2014. My goal in the news industry has always been to deliver accurate and interesting articles about local people and places. My interest in the profession is life long - from my earliest memories of grade school, I have enjoyed writing.
As an airborne geophysical surveyor I travelled extensively around the globe, conducting helicopter borne mineral surveys.
I also spent several years at an Okanagan Falls based lumber mill, producing glued-wood laminated products.
As a member of the Kaleden community, I have been involved in the Kaleden Volunteer Fire Department for 22 years, and also serve as a trustee on the Kaleden Irrigation District board.
I am currently married to my wife Judy, of 26 years. We are empty-nesters who enjoy living in Kaleden with our Welsh Terrier, Angus, and cat, Tibbs.
Our two daughters, Meagan and Hayley, reside in Richmond and Victoria, respectively.

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