Big Love 2026: Forty Years of Community, $209,000 Raised for YANA Families
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For forty years, this community has done something extraordinary.
When a Comox Valley family hears the words, “You need to leave home to get the medical care your child needs,” this community answers with one word: yes.
Yes, we will help you get there.
Yes, we will make sure you have a place to stay.
Yes, we will make sure cost is not the thing that keeps you up at night.
That spirit was on full display at this year’s Big Love Benefit, where our community came together and raised a remarkable $209,000 for YANA families.
In YANA’s 40th anniversary year, that support carries special meaning.
For four decades, this organization has been powered by the quiet commitment of people who believe deeply in standing beside families when they need it most. Behind every YANA trip is a network of supporters who continue to show up with compassion, generosity, and care.
Big Love is a celebration of that spirit.
It’s volunteers who give their time, sponsors who invest in this work, bidders who raise their hands, and supporters who believe deeply that no family should face a child’s medical journey alone.
This year’s event included a joyful nod to 1986, the year YANA began. Big hair, bright neon, cassette tapes, and a whole lot of laughter filled the room as we celebrated forty years of YANA and the people who have made it possible.
To everyone who attended, volunteered, donated, sponsored, bid, and believed in YANA this year, please know how deeply grateful we are. Your kindness ensures that when a Comox Valley family needs to leave home for care, the care of home travels with them.
We dedicate the love, support, and celebration of Big Love 2026 to the memory of Jim Williams, whose quiet strength helped carry YANA, especially in its earliest days.
Sandra Williams was our founder, and her name is one YANA supporters everywhere know well. Like so many things in life, her work was made possible by someone who stood steadily beside her.
In a year where we celebrated forty years of community showing up for one another, it feels especially fitting to honour the behind-the-scenes dedication that helps something like YANA take root and grow.
Our deepest gratitude to Jim and to the entire community that continues to carry this work forward.
With Big Love,
The YANA Team 💖