Dan Hennessey
For many residents of Bridgewater, the name of Stephen Sanders is a bit of a mystery, but on June 13, as Bridgewater mayor David Mitchell stood at a podium at the Luneburg County Lifestyle Centre to make an announcement regarding a major donation, Stephen Sanders quickly became known to households. Sanders recently donated $1.2 million to two worthy Bridgewater organizations. Those organizations were Health Services Foundation and Bridgewater Elementary School Playground committee.
Sanders, now 83, is a dominate figure in the Vancouver real estate market but also prides himself on his philanthropy work and has fond memories of Bridgewater. Sanders began his life in Pakistan and after many years of struggling, but maintaining a strong work ethic, he answered an advertisement for teachers in Canada. Sanders applied to many locations in Canada but received a telegram from Bridgewater Junior Senior High School to fill a vacancy as a physical education teacher. Sanders, who was an accomplished athlete, jumped at the chance to come to Canada — his destination was Bridgewater. Sanders eventually made it to Bridgewater in 1960 and became a much loved member of the staff at Bridgewater Junior Senior High School. Sanders went on to teach in a number of other locations in Canada and the U.S. and in 1990 was invited back to Bridgewater to speak at the 1990 graduation ceremony and was presented the key to the town.
During his time as an educator, Sanders dabbled in the world of real estate and today is a major player on the west coast. The family-run business currently operates 85 rental apartment communities with more than 5,400 suites in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Ottawa and has a net worth of $1.5 billion. Today, Sanders decided that the town that gave him a chance would benefit from his success.
The donation will be divided between the Health Services Foundation, which will receive $1 million to allow the development of an minimally invasive surgical (MIS) suites at the South Shore Regional Hospital. This suite has been a priority of the hospital for some time and MIS is now standard in operating rooms, using laparoscopic technology for its procedures. This equipment completes the surgery through a few small incisions rather than one large opening, resulting in less pain, faster recovery and shorter hospital stays for patients.
The Bridgewater Elementary School Playground project will also see an injection of $200,000 that will make a major impact on the project that will begin construction at the end of the school year and will go directly towards the completion of Phase 1 of the playground project. Travis Vaughn, of the Bridgewater Elementary School (BES) Playground committee, advised “that the donation will have an immediate positive impact on the health and well-being of BES students, and the local community who use the playground space on a daily basis.”
Mitchell said that the two projects are important building blocks in helping to grow the town and ensure its people can live healthy and active lives — both today, and for years to come.
