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Giving back this Giving Tuesday

Giving Tuesday is coming up on November 28, 2023 and we are excited to mobilize our community for this international day of generosity that encourages giving back to the causes that matter to you.

For the first time, all donations made to North York General will be tripled thanks to our friends and generous donors Gursikh Sabha Canada. This means even more impact across our hospital, helping to ensure we have the right equipment, technology and care environments for the hundreds of patients who need it every day.

We recently visited the Gurdwara to learn more about the congregation and their service to the community from Ran Perhar, Chair of the Selection Board, Gursikh Sabha Canada.

Giving back this Giving Tuesday

Giving Back this Giving Tuesday - Gursikh Sabha Canada

Giving Tuesday is coming up on November 28, 2023 and we are excited to mobilize our community for this international day of generosity that encourages giving back to the causes that matter to you.

For the first time, all donations made to North York General will be tripled thanks to our friends and generous donors Gursikh Sabha Canada. This means even more impact across our hospital, helping to ensure we have the right equipment, technology and care environments for the hundreds of patients who need it every day.

We recently visited the Gurdwara to learn more about the congregation and their service to the community from Ran Perhar, Chair of the Selection Board, Gursikh Sabha Canada.

Tell us more about your congregation and community.

“Our Gurdwara has been in this current building in Scarborough since 1990 – before that we didn’t have a building so we would rent school gyms and have service there on Sundays. Our family of faith has continued to grow and after an expansion in 2002, we are now getting ready for even more growth with a new wing being built in the next few months. We are the primary Sikh institution for over 25,000 members of our community that lives in an area east of Bathurst Street going all the way to Belleville.”

How do you live the Sikh philosophies of supporting the community?

“Sikh teachings support the importance of giving back to our community, and every member of our Gurdwara tries to embody this with our daily activity. Not only do we donate money, but we give of our time and talents as well. Our operations are entirely volunteer run – there isn’t a single person on the payroll.

Morning Prakash starts at 4:30 am, so volunteers are here by 4 am to clean the building and begin preparing food for the day. We have an industrial sized kitchen where volunteers cook around the clock to provide food (800 meals a day!) to anyone that comes through our doors, regardless of their religion, and we even make weekly home deliveries to seniors in need of meals. The majority of the food we prepare is generously donated by individuals in our Gurdwara.

On Fridays and Saturdays we host up to four weddings and we run a school on site that provides language and religious education to children. We also organize camps for kids in the summer and holidays. Again, all volunteer led.”

Why is supporting healthcare important?

“Our lives are very rooted in religion, and our belief in God guides the values we live every day.  As part of that, we hold sacred whatever it takes to enhance life, including supporting hospitals, universities, food banks and more. Our beliefs teach us that we are all equal, but our fortunes could be different. We believe in defending and supporting those who cannot defend and support themselves. This is why acts of service hold a very high place for us, but service has to be selfless and that’s why all of our members give without wanting anything in return.”

What’s the connection between Gursikh Sabha Canada and NYGH?

“North York General cares for those in our community of faith and our partnership is our way of giving back to a place that is a part of our lives, in good times and in challenging times. Many members of our Gurdwara turn to NYGH for their healthcare needs, with many generations of the same family being born and cared for by the compassionate and expert doctors and staff. On a deeper level, our roots in India and the hospital system there is very different – it’s pay-per-service. This makes our community respect and value the Canadian health care system in a special way since it’s universal. Any chance we get to donate to a hospital that gives us so much makes us deeply honoured to be involved.”

How do you hope your donation will inspire others to give?

“We hope our gift will spark a moment of reflection for people to be thankful for the blessings in life. It would be even better if that inspires others to give back to a community and hospital that supports them throughout life.”

Make 3X the impact this Giving Tuesday. Donate today and for every $1 you donate, $3 will go to North York Generalthanks to our generous matching donor, Gursikh Sabha Canada. Gifts will be generously triple matched from November 21 to November 28, 2023 up to a total of $75,000.

Donate now