Abstract
	Deepak Binning was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma cancer in November of 1996 and passed away in December of 1999. When we, his family and friends, decided to form the Foundation, we had no idea what we were doing, or how to go about raising funds but we knew from the start where we wanted to donate. Due to our experiences of the previous 3 years, it was only natural that we would support the institutions that were there for us. We picked B.C. Children’s Hospital, where Deepak was treated for 3 years, Canuck Place Hospice where he spent his last 5 days and the BC Cancer Society, to help find a cure for cancer. Lastly, we set up 3 scholarships at Cambie High School, Deepak attended and graduated from in 1999.
The first fundraising event took place on January 21, 2000. It was held on what would have been Deepak’s 19th birthday and organized by Cambie High School teachers and students in order to start a scholarship in his name. They raised over $2,000 in just one night.
	The Binning family and friends were so inspired by the efforts of the staff at Cambie High School that in February of 2000, we decided to carry on with the fundraising. Through the inspiration and encouragement from the Binning family, friends and our community, The Deepak Binning Foundation (DBF) was formed. The first Board of Directors consisted of: Jonathan Karelse, Sharanjit Johal, Priya Binning, Navinder Sahota, Geven Sandhu, Jasbir Binning and Paul Binning.
The year 2000 was one of many firsts for the Foundation. The first ever fundraising event organized by the Foundation was a Pub Night held at the Richmond Inn, the first walkathon took place in June at Richmond’s King George Park and the first Dinner and Dance was in November at South Hall in Vancouver with Shushma Dutt as our first Master of Ceremonies.
By the end of first fiscal year, the Deepak Binning Foundation had raised $60,000 and donated $50,000 of it to B.C. Children’s Hospital, Canuck Place Hospice and the BC Cancer Society.
	In 2001, our friends in Kelowna started the Kelowna chapter of The Deepak Binning Foundation. The local community in Kelowna knew Deepak from his performances at their Canada Day celebrations with the PAAR club and at the first dinner and dance there, the mayor of Kelowna described his memory of Deepak as “the little kid with the big drum” who never tired of playing the Dhol
That first Dinner and Dance in Kelowna was held on July 28, 2001 at Rutland Centennial Community Hall. The first committee members in Kelowna were the late Gurmeet Randhawa, Parmjit Patara, Chanchal Bal, Amandeep Virk, Sewa Bains, Balraj Gill and Paul Binning. In the last ten years, the Deepak Binning Foundation held two Dinner and Dances in Edmonton. Harpreet Dhaliwal, Manohar Dhaliwal and their family and friends organized the events. Since forming in 2000, the Deepak Binning Foundation has raised $914,566.63 million dollars (see the chart below), and has donated over $684,145.70 to the following charities and institutions in BC and Alberta. BC Children’s Hospital Canuck Place Hospice The Canadian Cancer Society. BC Cancer Society Alberta Cancer Society H J Cambie Secondary School UBC Okanagan Richmond Hospital Foundation Progressive Inter Cultural Society East Richmond Community Centre The Deepak Binning Foundation is a British Columbia-based non-profit society committed to the advancement of cancer research and giving scholarships and awards to students. More information on the Deepak Binning Foundation’s finances can also be found on the Revenue Canada website. The Board of the Deepak Binning Foundation never set any goals for fundraising. We all believed that even if we just raised one dollar, it was a dollar more than what we had yesterday. The sponsors, supporters and volunteers have been and continue to be the back bone of the Deepak Binning Foundation. The Deepak Binning Foundation is organized and run by volunteers. Our volunteers continue to be a source of pride for us, including many local youth who dedicate their time to us and earn volunteer hours to help them with their graduation requirements. The biggest factor contributing to the success of the Foundation is our generous sponsors; some of whom having supported the Deepak Binning Foundation since its start back in 2000 and are still a big part of our success year after year. Thank you for taking interest and supporting The Deepak Binning Foundation.