May 1, 2024
On April 26, 2024, the SACH South Asian Community Hub Society hosted its first-ever “SACH a Worthy Cause” fundraising gala at Crown Palace Banquet Hall in Surrey. Drawing out a crowd of 500+ attendees, it was a well sought after event that included many politicians, businesses, faith organizations, and key social services and health leaders.
Three SACH stories were shared by MLA and Parliamentary Secretary Aman Singh, Amar Randhawa, and Sumit Ahuja. The event started with a prayer and blessing by Kwantlen First Nations, Kevin Kelly. It was followed by two performances by the Wild Moccasin Dancers, David Whitebean and Shyama-Priya Singh, along with various other entertainment items.
During the event, the Honourable Minister Jennifer Whiteside announced a $100,000 funding commitment from the Government of British Columbia. The funding from the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions allows SACH to continue providing the vital outreach support that is culturally sensitive, linguistically appropriate, and family-oriented, for the individuals who need it the most.
One large donation came from the Pacific Hospitality Inc (PHI) in the amount of $25,000, amongst several other large donations. Kwantlen Polytechnic University and Khalsa Credit Union were noted as silver sponsors and present at the event.
The donations that poured in overwhelmed the SACH team and Board. The generous community support and their interest to discuss issues of mental health and addictions show how important it is to create safe spaces to educate, advocate and collaborate.
“We’ve never been to a gala like this before. We’ve never seen anything like this before in our community. The personal stories of healing and recovery that the speakers shared were so touching. We need more of these types of programs for the South Asian community. SACH is doing amazing work providing information for families who are dealing with and suffering from addiction, so that their loved ones can get help and treatment to get clean and live a healthy, happy life. We’re so happy to sponsor and donate to SACH a Worthy Cause!” – Amarjit Samra, owner of A-Class Autobody & Glass
“These conversations are never had,” said one faith leader to me from the Sikh community who was inspired by the dry event where mocktails were served, “and it shows that you can still have an impact and a great time without alcohol.” – Harman Pandher, Board Chair
“We became engaged with SACH because they represent the values of trust, care, and community building. We believe and support their vision to develop a community hub and so we are pleased to back their efforts with our donation.” – Sukhi Rai of PHI Hotel Group “Community is just a word. What instills life in this word is action; actions taken to uplift, empower and support one another. Community means leaving no one behind. We are so fortunate to be surrounded by family, friends, volunteers, and our wonderful outreach staff who care and believe in breathing life into the word community through their actions every single day.” – Bilal Cheema, Board Member
“For years we have talked within the health, education, and social services sectors, of the need for services that are more holistic and integrated, to best support vulnerable communities,” advises Gary Thandi, SACH Board Member. “I see SACH is not only a realization of this type of holistic, integrated service, but I believe it can serve as a model that can meet the needs of other diverse communities in our province.” – Gary Thandi, Board Member
“The community has shown us they support our vision, and they will step up with funding and volunteerism to support the cause. It’s very inspiring!” – Daljit Gill-Badesha, Executive Director
SACH is a grassroots and largely volunteer run non-profit organization based in Surrey. Launched in 2020, it provides important community outreach and peer support services to help people in the South Asian community who are struggling and connects them to tailored and in-language mental health and addictions services, including counselling, harm reduction, food, housing, and victim and income assistance services.
Learn about SACH: www.sachbc.ca
