Roy Brown had a vision five decades ago to create a facility capable of providing care for local aging and vulnerable seniors.
Some of Brown’s family were in the audience during the recent Langley Lodge 50th anniversary gala to pay tribute to the long-time Langley Rotarian and the realization of his dream.
Recognizing seniors were taking up too many beds at the local hospital back in the early 1970s, Brown set out to create a “much needed” long-term care facility in the community.
Rallying together a group of local leaders, he’s credited as the founder of Langley Lodge, which opened in 1974 on the current 204th Street site – the place he would spend the last year of his life.
During the anniversary gala, which was meant to celebrate Langley Lodge’s past, Aly Devji, CEO of Langley Lodge, and Peter Fassbender, chair of the Langley Care Society, also shared some goals for the organization’s future.
“This is something we didn’t think was going to be possible a few years ago,” Devji said of the gala, referring to how hard the lodge was hit by the pandemic.
“And here we are, together, commemorating a momentous occasion for our organization – celebrating the past, acknowledging and honouring the present, but also preparing for a much brighter future,” he said.
“As we celebrate 50 years of service, we are already thinking of how we build the next 50,” Devji added, noting the management team and board of directors for Langley Care Society have spent the past year brainstorming about what the future for the organization and the community could and should look like.
“It’s our hope that our organization will be part of providing more for the community of Langley,” Devji said.
Specifically, Fassbender spoke to current and upcoming bid requests from Fraser Health to provide funds for rejuvenation of the existing premises, as well as construction of additional care beds within Langley.
He called the gala a launching pad for the next 50 years, and revealed a little more about the future plans.
Langley Care Society is expecting to provide upwards of 400 more beds, plus create residential units for seniors, and even incorporate housing for care workers.
As the aging population increases in the community, Langley Lodge will be in a position to provided more of the needed long-term care beds and services for the people of Langley, he said.
The lodge’s Secret Garden-themed gala was the first of what Devji hopes will become an annual event. It’s been close to a decade since the lodge hosted a fundraising gala.
This fundraiser was a sell out with just shy of 300 people in attendance at the Coast Hotel.
The silent and live auctions raised much of the money collected that night.
Fassbender said the auction alone raised $120,000, $27,000 of which came from Taylor Swift tickets, for her Dec. 6 Eras Tour stop in Vancouver.
Initially, RBC Wealth Management donated two floor seat tickets to her concert. They were valued at $10,000, but managed to garner $15,000. And while those tickets were being auctioned off by master of ceremonies Howard Blank, another pair of tickets (not on the concert floor) was also contributed for auction. They raised a further $12,500 for the cause.
“We’re just thrilled with the response” to the fundraiser, Fassbender said. It appears the gala raised, in total, more than $165,000.
Some of the other live auction items included a cabin retreat on Mayne Island, which brought in $1,500, a Susan Falk acrylic painting that raised a $900 bid, and a dinner for 50 from the Fairhaven Group that garnered $9,000 for the charity.
“It was a great evening. But it’s not just about the money. It’s about casting that vision for the future,” Fassbender reiterated.
Devji agreed.
“We want Langley Care Society and Langley Lodge to be where care meets community,” he concluded.
