Above: detail from an illustration depicting Mata Tripta and new-born Nanak, by Pardeep Singh, from "Journey With The Gurus", Vol 1, by Inni Kaur.
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Sikh-Canadians Raise $715,000 for Hospital in Surrey, British Columbia
NEWS REPORT
Surrey’s generous Sikh community have helped raise more than $715,000 at an annual radiothon celebrating Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary Gurpurab.
This year’s recipient is the Mata Tripta Birthing Unit at the Surrey Memorial Hospital.
Thousands of listeners, predominantly from the local Sikh community but others as well, rallied around the expansion and renovation of British Columbia’s second largest Birthing Unit.
The radiothon, which was held in the form of call-in donations on RedFM, marks Guru Nanak’s birthday, when Sikh generosity and acts of charity are a tradition of the day for Sikhs around the world.
“Surrey’s Sikh community packs a tremendous punch when it comes to charitable giving”, said Surrey Memorial Hospital Foundation’s president and CEO Jane Adams. Listeners throughout the Lower Mainland, (British Columbia, Canada) and the world stepped up to support the Family Birthing Unit. Thus, owners of a car wash in Australia contributed $1,000 as did families living in Ontario (Canada), and US sates of California, Pennsylvania and Indiana.
“Donors were truly selfless”, added Adams. Two boys, aged four and seven and newly arrived in Canada, brought in their Spiderman banks. The boys pried open their banks with a can opener and spilled every cent onto the table that they had accumulated since arriving in Canada, and contributed it to the Mata Tripta Family Birthing Unit -- which has been named in honour of Guru Nanak's mother.
Another woman over 100 years in age struggled up two flights of stairs to personally deliver her donation to the volunteers collecting donations at the radio station.
[Courtesy: Link]
December 1, 2012
Conversation about this article
1: Hitpal Singh (New Zealand), December 02, 2012, 7:59 AM.
Bhai Kanha-iyya is the inspiration for such causes. He was blessed by Guru Gobind Singh after Sikhs complained of his also tending to the enemy wounded during battle. Guru Sahib not only lauded his work but gave him funds to continue to tend to all who needed succour, regardless of which side they were on.