Imagine this: you are a server at a busy pub. You make handfuls of cash every night in tips, but have no savings. One day, you trip on the sidewalk and break your ankle while on the way to work. The recovery time is two months and you cannot work. With no savings, no family to help, and nowhere to turn, you are not sure what you will do to cover rent, food or anything else. It feels hopeless.
But hope is here. Enter the British Columbia Hospitality Foundation (BCHF); a purpose-built BC-only charity that assists those in the hospitality industry in times of financial crisis due to health related issues.
The roots of the Foundation were established in the BC wine and food industry. In 2004, Michael Willingham, a respected wine agent, was rear- ended. The auto accident led to a debilitating stroke, with Michael needing expensive life-saving surgery not covered by traditional insurance. Instantly an ad hoc committee of industry friends & colleagues rallied to raise the money to allow Michael to receive his surgery. He accepted the funds with one caveat: that the committee members would continue to raise funds for other industry workers at their time of need.
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Michael Willingham
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BCHF
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BCHF Board Members
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Fundraising
So fast forward, and the committee started a charity. Run primarily by a volunteer board of directors and advisors, comprised of workers from wineries, hotels, restaurants, pubs, foodservice providers and more, the BCHF has worked since 2008 to raise funds through food & wine spectaculars, golf tournaments, and third-party events held by organizations and businesses all across the province. The Foundation has since developed a healthy scholarship program which supports the next generation of industry leaders.
To date, the BCHF has supported more than 90 beneficiaries with $415,000 in assistance, and provided almost 100 students with nearly $130,000 in scholarships towards industry-related programs in BC.
Across BC, the industry has also stepped up to raise awareness and money for the Foundation. Trade partners include the BC Hotel Association, BC Restaurant & Foodservices Association, ABLE BC, Restaurants Canada, the Import Vintners and Spirits Association, Okanagan Wine Festivals Society, International Special Events Society, Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association, Tourism Vancouver, Tourism Kelowna and Tourism Victoria.
Other partners & sponsors include the Vancouver International Wine Festival, Okanagan Crush Pad, Vancouver International Tequila Expo, Aburi Restaurants, Brewery & the Beast, Taste Victoria, Authentic Wine & Spirits, Container World, Sysco, Blackwood Career Apparel and many more.
Even with this groundswell of industry support, the Foundation is still in its infancy. We all know someone who works in hospitality, yet many of those workers do not yet know this safety net exists. Help is still needed to get the word to all corners of the province. Its greatest challenge is making sure the people that need help know how to apply.
Last year, Paul LaGrange, a sommelier at Kelowna’s Summerhill Pyramid Winery was treated for chordoma, a rare form of cancer, at a specialized clinic in Seattle. Paul applied for and received financial assistance from the BCHF to help him through his crisis. While being treated in the US, Paul met another patient named Angela LaForge, a hospitality worker in Prince George, and he encouraged her to similarly apply and ultimately receive funding to support her medical costs.
The stories of Paul, Angela, and many more inspire others to spread the word about the Foundation, so that more people every year can be offered hope, opportunity and a helping hand. Who do you know that they can help?
Want to know more?
Visit bchospitalityfoundation.com or follow them on Facebook (@BCHospitalityFoundation) or on Twitter and Instagram (both @BCHospitality).
