Alice Chung outside her home in Vancouver on April 2.Tijana Martin/The Globe and Mail
The organizer: Alice Chung
The pitch: Helping raise $22-million
The cause: VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation
As a young girl growing up in Malaysia, Alice Chung dreamed about moving to Britain.
She went to England after graduating high school in 1966 and then headed to Ireland for a short time. But she soon found her way to McMaster University in Hamilton where she studied social work and psychology.
After earning her degree, Ms. Chung couldn’t find a job in her field and ended up taking a position as an administrative assistant in a health food company. She soon struck out on her own and opened a health food store in 1983, called the Alive Health Centre. She grew the business into a chain of 29 outlets in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario, and she currently oversees 23 stores.
Her passion for health care led her to become involved with the VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation which supports the Vancouver General Hospital, the University of British Columbia Hospital as well as several research and community health programs.
Ms. Chung and her husband, David, became regular donors and they have contributed $1-million in total over the years. Ms. Chung also helped organize the foundation’s annual Time to Shine gala and she has served on the foundation’s board of directors.
Her involvement has helped raise $22-million, which has funded a variety of projects including several hybrid operating rooms. Last November, Ms. Chung was honoured by the Vancouver chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals with a Giving Hearts Award.
“Health is so important to everyone,” said Ms. Chung who is 77. “Without health life is nothing.”
She added that she and her husband, who is 76, are fortunate to have never been hospitalized for an illness. “The only time I have been in a hospital was to give birth to my son,” she said. “We are really blessed. But at the same time, what can I do to help and lessen some of the burdens on hospitals? By raising funds and by donating we can make an impact. It could be small but all together big things can happen.”
Editor’s note: An earlier version incorrectly stated the number of outlets in the health store chain.