We’d like to throw our support behind the drive to have the new patient care tower named in honour of David Kampe.
Kampe himself might be the only person in the South Okanagan reluctant to see his name on the expansion. He’s notoriously shy of accepting public praise for his donations, which says a great deal about the strength of his character, in itself.
Often, a fair bit of publicity goes along with large donations from wealthy individuals or corporations. There is nothing wrong with that, people should be applauded for these kind of things, and if it helps boost a corporation’s profile and sales, then that hopefully means more donations in the future.
But when an individual continuously gives without asking for anything back, it shows the soul of a true philanthropist, a man who enjoys helping others.
Some of Kampe’s donations are public. His family business, Peters Bros. Construction is a title sponsor of the Peach Festival. Without the support that event would not be the largest free festival in Western Canada. Kampe also purchases tickets to Vees games so youth can attend for free.
But many of Kampe’s activities are behind the scenes, or not very public, like the $6.5 million donated to the South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation over the past few years.
Officially the naming rights to the tower belong to the person or organization that donates $10 million. We agree with Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen director Mike Brydon, and others who have spoken up on the subject, that policy shouldn’t get in the way. With a name so synonymous with improving the lives of people in Penticton, it is a perfect match for the hospital tower.
It’s time to honour this philanthropist and ensure he knows how much we appreciate what he has given to our communities.