City Furniture, Ashley Furniture and RBC raised approximately $27,000 for the Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation during their 25th annual golf tournament.
The funds will go specifically toward improving cardiac care and addressing a significant gap in services across Northern BC.
“Right now, cardiac care remains one of the biggest gaps in care that we see in Northern BC,” said Spirit of the North CEO Aimee Cassie. “We are still transporting most, if not all, of our residents to the Lower Mainland, Kelowna or the Island for interventional cardiac care.
“That is something the Spirit of the North has been working toward for quite some time — closing that gap in care and bringing interventional cardiac care to Northern BC.”
The tournament was held at the Prince George Golf and Curling Club, with more than 100 representatives from City Furniture, Ashley Furniture, RBC and Spirit of the North in attendance.
Cassie told The Citizen events like this are essential to the foundation’s fundraising efforts.
“We're very thankful for events like this and when community supporters step up to raise money on our behalf,” she said. “We're so thankful for the support we get. Events like this truly are the heart of Spirit. They’re why we can do the work that we do and why we can bring these crucial services to Northern BC. A simple thank-you will never be enough.”
RBC contributed an additional $1,000 during the tournament in support of cardiac care in the region. Additional donations were also received during the event.
For Sonica Kandola, owner and operator of RK Furniture Gallery and a Spirit of the North board member, this year’s tournament held special meaning.
Kandola lost her mother in January, which is why the 2025 event focused on raising funds for cardiac care.
She told The Citizen the tournament not only raises critical funds, but also brings together the local business community.
“City Furniture is a family-owned-and-operated business. It’s always been locally owned and run,” said Kandola. “All of our dealers and suppliers become a big part of your life. I have friends in the furniture world who are my reps — they stay with me when they come to town to do business. It’s a big family.
“The point of this is, number one, charity — and number two, to bring everybody together and be grateful for what we have.”
She added that these personal relationships are foundational to their businesses.
“It becomes a family, and that’s what our foundation is like,” said Kandola. “Everyone who enters our organization is part of our family, and that’s how we consider them.
“It’s important to bring everyone together and remind them that we’re all in this business world together. Yes, there’s money and business — but at the end of the day, relationships are the foundation of everything.”
