52 BCBusiness February 2015 adam blasberg
Bob + Lily Lee
RoBeR t (BoB) L ee , ch a ir m a n of P r osP e r o
in t e r n at ion a l r e a lt y inc . , a nd L iLy L ee ,
r e t ir e d c ommuni t y he a lt h nur se
The Lee family tradition of
philanthropy began more than six
decades ago with Bob's father, who gave
to causes in Vancouver's Chinatown and
sent money back to his ancestral village
in China. Bob says that these efforts
helped inform the couple's own philanthropy.
"I was never close to my dad until I was in my teens,
and then I found out what he did and I was really happy
because he was helping the community and future gen-
erations," says Bob, who graduated from
UBC in 1956
and founded the real estate development company
UBC
Properties Trust in 1988 (which has raised $850 million
to date for the
UBC Endowment). "When I had the
opportunity to go to university myself and make
money in the business world, that was a great
privilege. This is just a way of
saying thank you."
Besides,
UBC's chancel-
lor emeritus adds, donating
makes the Lees feel better.
Allowing for the fact that his
family is financially well off,
Bob suggests, "We get more
pleasure giving than accept-
ing because people are really
appreciative and you can't do
that when you're gone."
The Lees' philanthropy
has focused on their shared
passions: education and
health. "I feel that I have
been very fortunate in my
life," says Lily, an Alert Bay,
B.C., native who graduated
with a nursing degree from
UBC. "I worked as a public
health nurse in the Downtown Eastside and have
always been interested in public health. I am excited
that Bob and I can contribute in a small way to improve
the health of the community."
"It's really important for our generation and future
generations, so we need the best health system in the
world," adds Bob. "We come into this world with noth-
ing and then you make a lot of money; why not improve
life for the future generation? Wealthy people don't
need all the money, so give it while you're alive and
people appreciate it more. When you're gone, nobody
knows you."
W h y
T h e y
G i v e
"I worked as a
public health
nurse in the
Downtown
Eastside and
have always
been interested
in public health.
I am excited that
Bob and I can
contribute in a
small way to
improve the
health of the
community"
—Lily Lee
Their Claim To Fame
Gave $2 million to the
VGh & uBc hospital
foundation in 2011 (led
to the robert and lily
lee family community
health centre); $5
million to uBc in 2005
(robert h. lee Gradu-
ate school at sauder
school of Business
and the robert h. lee
alumni centre).
