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Restaurant owners present cheque to family of Kelowna girl diagnosed with tumour

Central Kitchen and Bar staff recently held fundraiser to help with Elara’s treatment costs
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Central Kitchen and Bar staff will present the cheque to the Isagawa family on Wednesaday (File photo)

Two restaurant owners have pulled through for Kelowna resident Elara Isagawa, a one-year-old girl who was diagnosed with a tumour by doctors last Christmas Eve.

Last weekend, Kelowna Central Kitchen and Bar owners Jared Lee and Devon Murray held a silent auction and burger fundraiser at their restaurant for Elara to help raise money for her treatment process.

Now, the owners will be heading to BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver on Wednesday to present the family with the donation cheque.

READ MORE: Fundraiser for one-year-old Kelowna girl with tumour surpasses $10,000 fundraising goal

While Lee said he can’t reveal the donation amount until the cheque is presented to the family, he said the generosity shown by Kelownians at the event was overwhelming.

“When we saw the outpouring of support from people donating between $20 and $500, it was amazing,” said Lee.

“Nobody knows this, but we actually raised our fundraising goal when we saw all the support.”

Last December, Elara underwent a major 6.5-hour surgery to remove 98 per cent of the tumour. She will now need four months of chemotherapy to completely remove the rest of it.

Lee said the fundraiser occurred at the restaurant because of the Isagawa family’s personal connection to it.

“Nico and Jessica (Elara’s parents) met and had their first date at our restaurant,” said Lee.

“Soon after, they got engaged and had some of their engagement photos done at the bar. When they got married, Elara followed shortly after.”

On top of the donation amount raised from the event, a GoFundMe started on Dec. 24 by the family has also raised over 21,000 for Elara’s treatment.

A Kelowna “Comedy for a Cause” event is also being held in March to help raise money for Elara’s treatment.


@connortrembley
connor.trembley@kelownacapnews.com

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