On the day of their 60th wedding anniversary, a Kamloops couple has donated $250,000 to the new Patient Care Tower that is currently under construction at Royal Inland Hospital.

The RIH Foundation says James and Jessie Fedorak are long-time supporters who are well known in the community as educators and philanthropists.

“We were regular contributors to the Foundation, but we stepped up our contribution amount after we attended a meeting requesting funds for a nine-station microscope,” said James Fedorak, in a statement. “We were so impressed by this piece of equipment which enables earlier detection of breast cancer.”

“The additional funds that we decided to donate allowed us, through the Foundation, to obtain the latest and greatest equipment.”

The RIH Foundation says the money will be used to support a new operating room within the Patient Care Tower, which is set to be open in summer of 2022.

“James and Jessie Fedorak have been friends of the Foundation since the 1980’s. We cannot thank them enough for their incredible support, which has positively impacted many areas of the hospital,” said Foundation CEO Heidi Coleman. “Their gifts have allowed for various equipment purchases, which have made treatment faster, easier, and more effective for thousands of patients over the years.”

The Fedorak’s moved to Kamloops from Edmonton in 1971, where James worked as the Dean of Continuing Education and Community Services at Cariboo College (now Thompson Rivers University) for 10 years before moving to the Ministry of Forests. Jessie meanwhile worked as a substitute teacher.

The couple’s daughter, Teressa,  now works at Thompson Rivers University.

Coleman says to date the Fedorak’s have donated over $500,000 to the RIH Foundation.