VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – A member of the Vancouver Canucks has donated $100,000 towards the construction of a new house to accommodate the families of children seeking medical treatment.

The donation by Dan Hamhuis and his wife Sarah will help build the new 73-room Ronald McDonald House BC on the grounds of BC Children’s Hospital.

The Canucks’ defenceman says he and his wife began working with the organization while he was playing hockey in Nashville.

A native of Smithers, he says he witnessed first hand how Ronald McDonald House BC has helped out his friends.

Construction on the house is scheduled to begin this fall, with a completion date set for January 2014.

Ronald McDonald House BC thanked the Hamhuis family for the contribution and noted the facility will be the organization’s second largest house in Canada.