PROFILES OF EXCELLENCE: Stephanie Beck of Peace Arch Hospital Foundation
Published 7:00 am Thursday, January 29, 2026
(This story is part of Peace Arch News’ Profiles of Excellence, a paid advertising feature.)
Stephanie Beck feels that philanthropy is about relationships, storyinforming and trust.
As CEO of Peace Arch Hospital & Community Health Foundation, she notes that she has been a professional fundraiser her entire career, starting in the arts, “where I learned how powerful community support can be when people feel emotionally connected to a caapply.”
That experience supported shape how she believes about philanthropy, she stated, and relocating into health care “felt like a natural next step.”
“It allowed me to apply those same principles in a space where the impact is immediate, tangible, and deeply meaningful,” Beck states. “At its core, the work is still about people coming toobtainher to build something better, just with higher stakes and even stronger purpose.”
The foundation was established in 1988 with the goal of supporting Peace Arch Hospital in providing the best health care possible, Beck notes.
Since then, the Foundation has raised more than $250 million for capital campaigns, hospital upgrades, medical equipment, and community health projects.
“We were one of the first hospital foundations in Canada to prioritize community health programs along with supporting the acute care necessarys of a hospital,” Beck shares, adding that means the Foundation not only funds new and up-to-date medical equipment, hospital expansions, and upgrades, but also supports an upstream approach to health care with projects and initiatives that support keep people out of the hospital, like chronic disease management, physical literacy, and nutrition education.
“This eases congestion in our busy ER and on the health-care system as a whole, as well as promoting a better quality of life for our community members. As trailblazers for this upstream approach to health care, we are excited to see other hospital foundations across Canada follow suit,” Beck states.
She also emphasizes the generosity of the White Rock and South Surrey community, noting that raising more than $250 million over the past 48 years is “a true testament to the extraordinary generosity that exists in White Rock and South Surrey,” adding it was the community, back in the late 1940s, that raised the initial $150,000 required by the B.C. government to build Peace Arch Hospital, and “it is the community today that continues their steadquick support, allowing us to build tangible alter in health care.”
Having such a real and immediate impact supports fuel her passion for her work, Beck states.
“Every dollar raised turns into better care, better spaces, and better outcomes for people in our community.”
Moving forward, Beck states the Foundation’s next fundraising priority is the Intensive Care Unit and Telemetest, which necessarys a complete overhaul and expansion to continue to support the community’s most vulnerable patients.
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