A $1 million leadership gift from the Murray Auto Group has moved the Bringing Hearts Home Cardiac Campaign to within $4 million of its $30 million fundraising goal.
Chris Murray of the Murray Auto Group made the donation on behalf of the company, which is marking its 100th anniversary. He says the Murray family wanted to recognize the milestone in a meaningful way and felt supporting the campaign was the right fit.
“We’ve always believed in giving back to the community, and with this being our 100th anniversary, it was a chance to give a larger than normal, a much larger than normal contribution back to the community,” Murray says.
“It is a way to give back to all of our employees, all of our customers, because you never know who’s going to need cardiac care.”
Murray, who operates the business alongside his three brothers, says although the others do not live in Lethbridge, the gift reflects the family’s broader commitment to the communities where they operate.
“My mom is kind of one of the people that got this started and her health isn’t so great nowadays, so to see that happen also makes me proud to see her dream come true.”
The Murray Auto Group operates more than 30 dealerships across western Canada. Murray says the company has established a fund that supports community initiatives in the markets where it does business.
“We run over 30 dealerships across western Canada and we’ve set up a fund that gives back to the community based on the person that lives in that market and so this is just part of that and yeah, it makes me proud,” he states.
The donation moves the campaign closer to its goal of expanding access to advanced cardiac care in southern Alberta and reducing the need for patients to travel outside the region for treatment.
Dr. Sayeh Zielke, physician lead for cardiac services in the Alberta Health Services south zone, says receiving a donation of this size highlights the momentum behind the campaign.
“It’s a pure reflection of what a movement this campaign has transformed into in our community, and at the end of the day it’s not about the dollar value, it’s about the fact that every donation helps us get closer to the goal of saving lives,” she remarks.
Zielke says cardiac disease remains the leading cause of death in southern Alberta and that outcomes in the region lag behind the provincial average.
“Southern Alberta has about 30 per cent higher mortality rate from heart disease compared to anywhere else in the province, and that is not something that we should accept,” she says.
She adds that the campaign is focused on reducing that gap and improving care for patients and families in the region.
In the 18 months since the Bringing Hearts Home campaign launched, about $26 million has been raised, Zielke notes.
“This response from the community is beyond our wildest expectations,” she says.
“When we started dreaming and planning for this campaign, we were told that $30 million is incredibly ambitious, especially in the timeline that we had. This truly is the reflection of how incredible our community is, how they have stepped forward, and I want to emphasize these large transformative gifts are wonderful, but even the smallest donations and how everyone is truly trying to do what they can to support this campaign, even if it’s not financial, by volunteering and helping organize events, it’s been just a beautiful thing to witness and be part of.”
Crystal Elliott, chief executive officer of the Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation, echoed Zielke’s comments, saying each new contribution helps move the region closer to providing critical cardiac care closer to home.
