“The kindness and attentiveness of the staff gave us precious time with Mom in those final days,” Kuldip Manhas recalls. “I will never forget the way they supported my mom and our family.”
This fall, the Manhas family is rallying the community to join them as they come alongside Surrey Hospitals Foundation to raise an incredible $150,000 for elder care. Inspired by the care his mother received at Surrey Memorial Hospital and Laurel Place and fueled by his father’s lifelong commitment to helping others, Kuldip Manhas and his family are continuing this legacy of giving. This giving journey stretches back generations, both in India and in Canada.
The Manhas Family
The Canadian chapter of the Manhas family’s story began in the 1890s when Kuldip’s great-grandfather moved from India to settle in Canada. In 1906, Kuldip’s grandfather moved to join him, followed by Kuldip’s father, Hari Singh Manhas, who arrived when he was just 12 years old. Together they established roots on Vancouver Island, where Hari and his brother worked tirelessly to build a mill business near Duncan. As their business grew, they established a thriving village, which they affectionately named “Paldi,” after their home village back in India.
In the 1950s, the family returned to India to pursue farming. The trip back was an extraordinary journey. They travelled first by train across Canada, boarded a boat from Halifax to Europe, then by boat again, around Africa, until finally reaching Bombay.
After three years of farming, Hari and his wife, Mohinder, decided to return to Canada which was experiencing a boom in the forestry industry. They settled first in Port Alberni and eventually moved to Surrey.
Hari’s spirit of giving never waned. He would regularly send some of his earnings home to his village in India to support the development of a school nearby. Kuldip recalls how important this was to his father, “He wanted to help his own village. He believed in educating youngsters. For him, [education] was the key.” Hari’s support of the school eventually reached nearly $1 million. Due in part to this generosity, the school has expanded over the years to teach from kindergarten up to university level students.
In 2005, Mohinder was diagnosed with breast cancer. Following surgery and treatment, Mohinder lived many years cancer-free, but in 2017 after a trip to India to visit the school her husband had helped establish, they learned that her cancer returned. It was when she experienced a fall that they discovered that Mohinder’s cancer had spread into her bones. As a result of the fall, Mohinder underwent hip surgery at Surrey Memorial Hospital.
Moved by the care she received at Surrey Memorial Hospital during this procedure, Mohinder pressed upon her family the need to give back to Surrey Memorial Hospital. In 2017, the family donated $200,000 to create the Hari Singh & Mohinder Manhas Patient Care Fund. This fund provided patient comfort items such as vein finders, sleeper chairs, and wheelchairs. Today, it is a way for program staff at Surrey Memorial Hospital and Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgery Centre to apply for small grants to purchase equipment.
After recovering from her fall, Mohinder was able to stay at home, and was cared for by her family until her doctor encouraged the family to consider a move to Laurel Place as she neared the end of her life. In those final days, she moved to Laurel Place, a long-term care community in Surrey focused on person-centered care which was able to provide the advanced care needed to keep her comfortable. “The kindness and attentiveness of the staff gave us precious time with Mom in those final days,” Kuldip recalls. “I will never forget the way they supported my mom and our family.” Mohinder died peacefully at the age of 91, less than a year after Hari passed away.
Inspired by the health care that Mohinder received, the Manhas family has chosen to extend their giving further with a match campaign this fall. In honour of Hari and Mohinder’s values, until December 31, 2024, every donation for elder care will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the family (up to $66,000), doubling the impact and allowing more families to experience the quality care they deserve.
Reflecting on his parents’ journey, Kuldip feels an enduring pride. The Manhas family’s contributions continue to ripple kindness, carrying forward a legacy of giving that spans continents and generations. It brings full circle their desire to honour their parents’ legacy of giving back. By sharing their story, Kuldip and his family hope to inspire others to join them in ensuring our elders receive the excellence in elder care they deserve.
