August 29, 2023
Richmond, B.C. – Dan On, founder and owner of the Richmond-based Dan-D Foods Ltd., is giving back in a big way to Richmond. He feels enormous gratitude to this community that has supported his immigrant story, rising from the most humble of beginnings to ascending the heights of entrepreneurial success. With the announcement today of his extraordinary donation of $10 million to Richmond Hospital Foundation, On and his family is taking patient care to a whole new level for Richmond.
This transformational donation will help ensure the success of two important projects at Richmond Hospital: the purchase of a second CT scanner for medical imaging and the enhancement of patient care in the new Yurkovich Family Pavilion.
“Because my company operates from its base in Richmond, it made sense to give back to the local community,” says On. “Excellent health care is important to everyone and I was inspired by my employees and local business partners to make a gift to help the community where we live, work and play.”
Today, Richmond Hospital’s ability to provide Computed Tomography (CT) scans is impacted by the increasing demand. Part of On’s gift will fund a second CT scanner, which will improve access for this important medical imaging service, allowing for faster diagnosis and assessment of patients.
Vancouver Coastal Health.
Dr. Tracy Chandler, radiologist at Richmond Hospital thanks On for his generosity and adds, “The acquisition of a second CT scanner will have a profound impact on the medical imaging team as well as patients. The CT scanner is one of the most frequently used pieces of equipment serving the needs of both inpatients and outpatients, and it has been a challenge to keep up with the demand for CT scans with only a single machine.”
“Dan’s generous gift will enhance the patient experience and result in improved efficiency for health care services in Richmond,” shares Dr. Barinder Brar, Richmond Hospital Emergency Department Co-Department Head and Physician.
Looking to the future with the new Yurkovich Family Pavilion, On’s gift will also enhance the patient experience throughout the inpatient floors, helping to create a calm, healing environment for patients in all of the single occupancy rooms, plus the installation of new technologies such as safety features to help health care staff deliver optimum care.
Dan Khuong On is the son of ethnic Chinese parents, who lived in Vietnam during the turbulent war years of the 1960s and 1970s. His family experienced extreme poverty during this time and in 1979, at the age of 18, he was sponsored as an immigrant to Canada.
By 1989, On formed his own company. It was his intense work ethic, his loyalty to those he worked with, and his keen business acumen that made him a giant in the field of food packaging and distribution in Richmond. He later expanded his enterprise to include other markets worldwide including California, Vietnam, China and Japan.
“Richmond Hospital Foundation is honoured and humbled to receive this extraordinary gift from an individual who, despite the hardships faced in his youth, has gone on to demonstrate that one can thrive in Canada,” says Natalie Meixner, President & CEO of Richmond Hospital Foundation. “Dan’s intense hard work has made him the successful businessman we know today and we are grateful that he has chosen to support health care in Richmond as a way to give back and say thank you to his adopted country. His loyalty to his employees and the community of Richmond shines through.”
The benefits of On’s charitable gift will be felt by many in the Richmond community. Planning has already commenced to create the necessary space to house a new CT scanner within the next year. This important equipment will be relocated to the new Yurkovich Family Pavilion when it opens.
“We are truly honoured to have such generosity in our midst,” says Dr. Penny Ballem, Board Chair, Vancouver Coastal Health. “We know that philanthropy helps drive health care forward and we thank Dan for his vision and foresight to help his local community.”
