Dakota CU Foundation Makes Generous Donation to CMN Hospital
July 24, 2024
In memory of Charlie Murano, the foundation's donation will dedicate a pediatric oncology exam room in his honor.
The Murano family
of Aberdeen, South Dakota, recently made a trip to Sanford Children’s Hospital
in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The route to the hospital is very familiar to
them, as Charlie, beloved son of Abby and Joel Murano, was treated there last
year for a rare form of brain and spine cancer. Sadly, the beautiful toddler lost
his battle with this devastating disease late last fall. But this trip was for
a very different purpose: the official reveal of the pediatric oncology exam
room named in honor of little Charlie.
Earlier this
year, the Dakota Credit Union Foundation had announced a $200,000 commitment to
the three Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals located in North and South
Dakota. Sanford Children’s Hospital in Sioux Falls is the recipient of $50,000
and the funds were earmarked for a memorial to honor Charlie. Abby is a staff
member at Dakotaland Federal Credit Union in Aberdeen, and previously served on
the foundation’s board.
April Tompkins,
foundation board chair and CEO of Explorer’s Credit Union (Yankton, SD), explained,
“We wanted to honor Charlie in a meaningful way. Credit unions clearly
understand the health care debt cycle, and there is no doubt that physical
health plays a major role in financial wellness. As an industry, we strive to
help our members, our employees, and our communities find a path to physical,
mental, and financial health, and we are extremely excited to dedicate this
room at Sanford Children’s Hospital in Charlie’s honor. Undoubtedly, his spirit
will live on as many more children are able to receive the best care, close to
home at our regional CMN Hospital,” she added.
“When Charlie was diagnosed with this unfortunate disease,
our family was devastated,” shared Abby Murano. “Our motto became we can't
control what happened, but we can control how we respond – and that's how we've
navigated the past year. We are honored by this memoriam that the Dakota Credit
Union Foundation has chosen, which will help many more children in our
community. This is an amazing and impactful gift to honor Charlie's legacy, and
we are forever grateful,” she concluded.
Ashton Siebrecht,
development officer for Sanford Health Foundation, stated, “Sanford Children’s
Hospital will benefit significantly from this incredible gift to support
Children’s Miracle Network. As the region’s only free-standing CMN hospital, we
are proud knowing that 100% of every gift stays local providing assistance to
our patients and families at a time when they need it most. We are so grateful
to be a part of this story and for the support from the Dakota Credit Union
Foundation. Now the Murano family will have this extra-special place in the
Castle of Care while the funds will help support programs like Child Life,
music therapy, on-site teacher, or meal vouchers, mileage reimbursement, and
lodging for families, just like the Murano’s, that find themselves traveling or
receiving extended inpatient care.”
The Murano
family’s recent visit to the hospital was captured by Dakota News Now in a
feature news video story, Honoring Charlie, which you can see here.
About
Dakota Credit Union Foundation
The
Dakota Credit Foundation is the charitable arm of the Dakota Credit Union
Association. The Foundation’s purpose is to build community awareness of
credit unions throughout North and South Dakota by supporting financial
well-being for all. The Foundation provides assistance for financial education
events and financial literacy classroom programs; scholarships for credit union
professional development and certification programs and supports local
Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. For more information visit dakcu.org/foundation.
Quantifying the Good
$50K+ Money Donated
$394K+ Total All Time Reported Impact