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Charles and Margaret Juravinski
May 29, 2019

$100M+ endowment to fund health research

Hamilton philanthropists Charles and Margaret Juravinski will create an endowment of more than $100 million to support researchers across Hamilton Health Sciences, McMaster University and St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.

Their estate gift is one of Canada’s largest ever legacy gifts and will provide up to $5 million a year to the institutions, in perpetuity.

“It brings us great pleasure to think that when we are gone, our legacy to this community may be measured in the good health of those who come after us,” the Juravinskis said in a letter to the community released today. “As a couple, our most important lesson has been this: the greatest pleasure in life and the most powerful force for good in the world is sharing.”

The endowment will create the Juravinski Research Centre, which will equally support Hamilton Health Sciences, McMaster University and St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton by funding health research in a variety of areas including cancer, mental health, lung and respiratory care, and diseases of aging.

The Juravinskis, who have called Hamilton home for decades, are generous benefactors to health care, education and research in the city. They have given more than $50 million to Hamilton organizations, which includes support for the Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre at Hamilton Health Sciences, the Margaret & Charles Juravinski Education, Research & Development Centre at McMaster University and the Margaret & Charles Juravinski Centre for Integrated Healthcare and the Juravinski Innovation Tower at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.

A Historic Hamilton Gift

“The health of generations of Canadians will be positively impacted by this wonderful legacy gift from Charles and Margaret Juravinski. In making this gift, they also helped inspire and enable our three organizations to collaboratively address some of the most important health issues of our time.”

-Rob MacIsaac, President & CEO, Hamilton Health Sciences

“McMaster had already started talks with Hamilton Health Sciences and St. Joseph’s about how we could create new dimensions to our research partnerships to deliver even more to our community, when I received a call from Charlie Juravinski. He was very excited to explore how he and Margaret could leave a legacy that would improve the health of people in Hamilton and around the world by supporting research. We will be eternally grateful for Charlie and Margaret’s vision and their confidence in our world class researchers’ ability to have deep and long-lasting impact in many critically important areas of health research.”

-Dr. Paul O’Byrne, Dean and Vice-President, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University

“Charles and Margaret Juravinski’s visionary gifts have forever changed health care in Hamilton and their legacy of giving will continue thanks to their investment in world-class research. By enabling collaborative research into mental health care, lung and respiratory health, oncology, and diseases of aging, the Juravinskis’ gift will impact not only patients and families in Hamilton, but countless others around the world for generations to come.”

-Dr. Thomas Stewart, President & CEO, St. Joseph’s Health System

About the Juravinski Research Centre

• A research collaboration between Hamilton Health Sciences, McMaster University,St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Foundation, Hamilton and Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation

• The Centre will support areas of research including cancer, mental health, lung health/respirology and diseases of aging (e.g. Alzheimer’s disease and macular degeneration)

• Together, the partners will engage in collaborative, strategic projects that are focused on health-related research enhancing the health and prosperity of all of our citizens

• An eight-member Steering Committee will be responsible for setting all priorities and programs to be undertaken by the Juravinski Research Centre

Charles and Margaret Juravinski – A Legacy of Leadership

• Charles, 89, and Margaret, 87

• Charles (born in Blaine Lake, SASK) and Margaret Juravinski (born in Hamilton, ON) grew upknowing true poverty and hardship.

• Charles, born within days of the 1929 stock market crash, knew what it was like to live withoutwork, money, heat and running water. His family moved to Hamilton when he was a child. His professional career evolved after he first worked at a construction company and then went on to own a series of businesses, which included a gas station and a development company.

• Charles and Margaret built and managed Flamboro Downs race track for 27 years, selling it in 2002 to Magna Entertainment.

The Institutions

Hamilton Health Sciences

Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) is the only hospital system in Ontario providing specialty care to people throughout the entire life cycle, from pre-birth to old age. HHS serves the densely populated south central region of Ontario and is also a referral centre for patients from elsewhere in the province.

With five hospitals (Hamilton General Hospital, Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre, McMaster Children’s Hospital, St. Peter’s Hospital and West Lincoln Memorial Hospital) and six specialized healthcare facilities, HHS has the largest hospital-based workforce in Ontario: 15,000 staff, physicians and volunteers.

In addition to providing excellent patient care, Hamilton Health Sciences’ mission includes advancing health care through education and research. In affiliation with McMaster University and other educational institutions, HHS is helping to train the next generation of caregivers. It has also become an international leader in hospital-based research and is recognized as one of the top four
healthcare research institutions in Canada. More than 2,000 investigators and research staff at HHS work together to attract $170 million in research funding annually.

Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation

Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation provides vital funding to enable the best possible patient care. We inspire and motivate gifts that fund medical equipment and patient amenities, innovative research initiatives, essential redevelopment of clinical care spaces, and the education and training of health care providers.

As a registered charitable organization, we proudly support patients and families across south-central Ontario, and from outside the region, who receive specialized care at Hamilton Health Sciences including Hamilton General Hospital, Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre, McMaster Children’s Hospital, and St. Peter’s Hospital. The associated programs at the Regional Rehabilitation Centre, McMaster University Medical Centre and Ron Joyce Children’s Health Centre are also included.

McMaster University

McMaster University is Canada’s most research-intensive university and is consistently ranked as one of the world’s Top 100 universities. Together, our researchers, students and staff advance human and societal health and well-being, creating a Brighter World.

St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton

St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton (SJHH) is a leading research and academic health science centre located in the heart of Hamilton, Ontario. It is a pioneer of the Integrated Comprehensive Care model, a leader in patient-centred care, and a major provider of mental health and addiction services, respiratory care and kidney care, in addition to other acute care, surgical and outpatient services at its three distinct sites. SJHH is a member of the St. Joseph’s Health System, working in close partnership with St. Joseph’s Villa Dundas for long-term care, and St. Joseph’s Home Care.

St. Joseph’s Healthcare Foundation

Since 1970, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Foundation has been proud to partner with the community to raise funds in support of the exceptional patient care, innovative research and education, and vital facility and equipment needs at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton. In 2012, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Foundation became one of a selected group of charities across Canada to be accredited by Imagine Canada’s Standards Program. The program recognizes excellence in Canadian charities in five areas, including: board governance, financial accountability & transparency, fundraising practices, staff management, and volunteer involvement.

Read A Letter To The Community From Charles And Margaret Juravinski.