The BC Cancer Agency has received a $21.4 million donation from the Jambor Foundation – the largest individual donation it has ever received.
The donation was made by William McCarthy, a Vancouver businessman and grandson of the late John Jambor, for whom the Jambor Foundation was created.
Jambor immigrated to Canada from Slovakia in 1928, at the age of 26, and started a business in Quebec before moving to Vancouver in 1948, where he built a successful business in real estate.
After his wife, Joan, died of cancer in 1970, Jambor made his first donation to the BC Cancer Agency of $1 million.
Jambor died in 1991, and the fortune he left behind helped create the Jambor Foundation legacy.
“I worked alongside my grandfather from childhood,” said McCarthy. “He was the greatest man I’ll ever know. Together, we developed the Jambor-McCarthy legacy and I’m proud to see this gift flourish into a fitting tribute to my grandfather and the Jambor family.”
“We are incredibly grateful to be the beneficiaries of this significant gift,” said Brian Schmidt, interim president at the BC Cancer Agency.
“On behalf of the BC Cancer Agency, I’d like to thank the Jambor-McCarthy family for their ongoing support in helping the BC Cancer Agency find the causes of cancer, as well as to discover better treatments for prolonged and improved quality of life.”
