When the Bald Range wildfires forced seniors from their homes, the team at Kaigo Senior Living’s Mission Creek Landing responded with extraordinary speed and compassion.
On August 7, residents of Summerland Seniors Village needed a safe place to stay after evacuation orders affected Summerland and some surrounding communities. Interior Health reached out to Kaigo for help.
“Our Director of Operations [received] a call at 10:30 at night saying, ‘is this a possibility?’” said Kevin Svoboda, President of Kaigo. “Fifty minutes later they were coming. That’s how fast the fire spread.”
At the time, Mission Creek Landing in Kelowna was preparing to open a new wing just ten days later. By opening their doors early, the team was able to welcome 73 evacuees, including many seniors with complex care needs.
“We are deeply grateful to communities like Mission Creek Landing for welcoming our residents with open arms,” said Graham Freeman, President at West Coast Seniors Housing Management. “Evacuations require tremendous coordination and preparation, yet their team acted quickly to provide safe, compassionate support on such short notice.”
BCCPA is proud to recognize Kaigo and the Mission Creek Landing team for stepping up when their neighbouring community needed them most. Their swift response in welcoming many evacuees demonstrates the strength of our sector and the compassion, dedication and collaboration that define it.
“Helping our neighbours – that’s really important to do in life,” added Kevin.
