City Furniture co-founder donates to endowment fund

It’s a gift that will help Kelowna’s hospital and honour Sikh heritage.

The owners of the Kelowna-based City Furniture chain have given an unspecified gift to the Kelowna General Hospital Foundation’s Guru Nanak Dev Ji Endowment Fund as the Sikh community celebrates an anniversary in the Guru Nanak tradition.

Ray and Kay Kandola chose to support the fund, which was established by the family of Akaljot (AJ) Gill together with the Sikh community in 2019, in honour of the 550th Anniversary of the Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji is the first Guru of 10 Sikh Gurus and is the founder of the Sikhism religion.

“It is an honour to be able to give this gift in the name of Guru Nanak,” said Ray Kandola, who, with his wife, Kay, also recently gave a gift in support of advanced stroke care at Kelowna General Hospital. “We are proud of our Sikh heritage. We hope this gift will inspire others in our community to also support the Guru Nanak Dev Ji Endowment Fund.

Donations to the fund will be used primarily to purchase equipment, surgical instruments, fund research or purchase other medical equipment and patient comforts, or other related areas in the Kelowna General Hospital involved with the care and treatment of patients.

Ray Kandola joined with Ted Sandhu and Vernon’s Ruby Sharma to start City Furniture in 1976, with the chain now at 23 stores in B.C. and Alberta. Each location is locally owned and owner-operated with a community-driven, family-focused approach.

The foundation said under Kandola’s leadership, City Furniture Group takes pride in giving back to their community and supporting local charities.

Kandola himself is a past president of the Peachland Rotary (2019). That year, the club joined forces with the Peachland Lions Club and Peachland Sportsmen’s Association to raise funds and build the Ray Kandola Heritage Pier; a 120-meter, multi-use, wheelchair-accessible pier in downtown Peachland alongside Heritage Park.

“Ray and Kay are really outstanding leaders in our community, not only as business owners but because they choose to give so much back,” says Gary Rozak, KGH Foundation Director of Philanthropy. “They are truly stewards of excellence in the health and well being of all of us who call the Southern Interior home.”