Health

Since 2012, we have provided funding for medical research, the construction of new health-related facilities, and to smaller organizations dedicated to helping the more vulnerable members of our community. In particular, we are committed to supporting programs dedicated to the health and wellbeing of young people in BC.

Physical and mental health impact the personal, social, and physical facets of our everyday lives. We envision communities working towards improving health by taking part in maintaining their own health and that of others.

Featured Programs

  • Looking Glass Foundation

    Since 2002, the Looking Glass Foundation has been helping countless people and families get to the other side of eating disorders. People suffering from this disease, or who care about someone who is, need a community of support to fall back on. From the earliest intervention, through all the paths of recovery, through to sustained relapse prevention, eating disorders take hard work and commitment to overcome.

    The Y. P. Heung Foundation is a long-time supporter of the Looking Glass Foundation. We have programs including their Residential Arts Therapy Program, as well as their more recent initiative, Bridge the Gap, which provides affordable one-to-one therapeutic support to individuals in British Columbia who are affected by eating disorders.

    In 2022, the Y. P. Heung Foundation provided a one-time grant that will go towards improvements made on the Looking Glass Residence located in Vancouver’s Shaughnessy neighbourhood.

  • Music Heals — Music Therapy Program

    Since 2012, Music Heals Charitable Foundation has raised awareness and funds to increase access to music therapy for vulnerable Canadians. Music Heals supports a wide range of music therapy services in communities in BC and across Canada. We increase access to music therapy for patients in children’s hospitals, seniors centres, palliative care, AIDS & HIV programs, at-risk youth, rehabilitation, and bereavement support. To date Music Heals has funded over 32,000 music therapy sessions for Canadians in need.

    Y. P. Heung Foundation has been a supporter of Music Heals since 2020. Our grant directly funds the music therapy program at Little Mountain Place, a long-term care home for seniors located in the heart of Vancouver’s Little Mountain neighborhood.

  • VGH + UBC Hospital Foundation

    Over the years, the Y. P. Heung Foundation has provided a funding for the following projects at the VGH + UBC Hospital Foundation:

    Funding the purchase of equipment for research conducted in the lab of Dr. Jacqueline Quandt for the Multiple Sclerosis Research Group at the Centre of Brian Health, Faculty of Medicine, UBC Hospital.

    Funding the purchase of equipment for research undertaken by Dr. Cheryl Wellington at the Centre of Brain Health, UBC Hospital, for research in Alzheimer’s.

    Funding a 2-year pilot project to study the outcomes using state-of-the-art Temperature Management Systems (new “cooling blanket”) for the treatment of survivors of cardiac arrest, conducted by Dr. Graham Wong, Director of Coronary Care Unit at the Vancouver General Hospital.

  • Canadian Cancer Society — Centre for Cancer Prevention & Support

    In 2020, the Y. P. Heung Foundation made a large donation (over three years) to support the rebuilding of the Canadian Cancer Society’s Centre for Cancer Prevention & Support. This impressive 70,000 sq ft building located in Vancouver on 575 West 10th Ave, opened its doors in November 2021. This mixed-use building serves as a national hub of research and innovation for cancer prevention and support services. The space brings together researchers, clinical support service providers, innovators, Canadian Cancer Society staff as well as out-of-town cancer patients staying at the patient lodge while receiving treatment. Among its many amenities are a demonstration kitchen, a gym, a meditation room, and a rooftop garden.

  • Cycling Without Age — Vancouver Chapter

    Founded in Copenhagen in 2012, Cycling Without Age (CWA) is a global movement 2,700 chapters around the world. It aims to reach and improve the lives of the elderly and break them free from social isolation. Local volunteers take the elderly out for rides on trishaws to enjoy fresh air and conversation.

    The Vancouver chapter of CWA was established in 2018, and it currently operates two trishaws that take seniors for ride around the West End, Yaletown, False Creek, and West Side of Vancouver. Its partners include senior centres, senior care homes, recreation centres, and organizations that support those with disabilities.

    In 2019, the Y. P. Heung Foundation provided a grant to CWA Vancouver that went towards the purchase of a new trishaw.

  • Wavefront Centre for Communication Accessibility

    Established in 1956, the Wavefront Centre for Communication Accessibility is a BC-based, multi-service, registered charity that exists to reduce hearing-related communication barriers by providing access and inclusion for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. The only centre of its kind in Western Canada, Wavefront Centre provides a full range of programs and services “under one roof”.’

    The Y. P. Heung Foundation proudly supported Wavefront’s 2018–2019 capital campaign to build its new headquarters in Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant neighborhood. Opened in October 2019, the Wavefront Centre is a model of innovation and inclusion. The new purpose-built four-story building is equipped to ensure Deaf, Deafblind, and Hard of Hearing individuals have an accessible space to connect, build community and access Wavefront’s vital services.

    In addition, the Y. P. Heung Foundation has donated fifteen works by Vancouver photographer, Fred Herzog (1930–2019). The photographs are displayed in the atriums and throughout the Centre.

“The Y.P Heung Foundation’s gift towards invaluable MS research equipment underscores the important role that philanthropy plays in supporting advancements in our health care system. We are extremely grateful to for their visionary donation.”

— Barbara Grantham, President & CEO, VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation