Murray Chevrolet donates $1 million to Bringing Hearts Home Campaign

By Lethbridge Herald on February 9, 2026.

HERALD PHOTO BY JOE MANIO Dr. Sayeh Zielke and Chris Murray lift the cover off a symbolic $1-million check from Murray Cadillac Lethbridge during Tuesday’s Bringing Hearts Home Campaign event. The donation will support new cardiac services and infrastructure across southern Alberta. Dr. Sayeh Zielke, Cardiac Sciences Physician Lead for the South Zone, and Chris Murray, general manager of Murray Cadillac Lethbridge, unveil a symbolic $1-million check to support the Bringing Hearts Home Campaign at Chinook Regional Hospital on Tuesday. The donation will help fund cardiac services and infrastructure for patients across southern Alberta.

By Joe Manio

Lethbridge Herald

Inside the shell of Chinook Regional Hospital’s future cardiology centre, the promise is clear — but the work is far from done. Unassembled cubicles, hospital beds, and equipment await installation, and fundraising for the services and infrastructure that will go into the space continues, now entering its final stretch.

That effort was on display Monday as Murray Chevrolet Cadillac Lethbridge announced a $1-million donation, a major boost for the Foundation’s $30-million Bringing Hearts Home Campaign. The initiative will help more patients across southern Alberta access advanced cardiac care closer to home, reducing the need to travel to Calgary and keeping families together during critical care.

Cardiovascular disease remains a leading health challenge in the province, with tens of thousands of new cases diagnosed annually and costs to the health system estimated at roughly $1 billion each year.

For Dr. Sayeh Zielke, Cardiac Sciences Physician Lead for the South Zone of Alberta Health Services, being in the space was both inspiring and a little daunting. Zielke oversees cardiac care across southern Alberta, guiding the project to meet patient needs and provincial standards.

“Every time I walk in here, I get a little sad because I wish we could use this space yesterday,” Zielke said. “I wish we could fill it with infrastructure and start providing care. I’m working on being patient, but at the same time, I’m so excited that this space exists.”

Zielke said the campaign is about more than construction; it’s about reducing transfer times, improving outcomes, and keeping patients and families in their own community during cardiac emergencies.

CRH Foundation CEO Crystal Elliott said the campaign’s progress reflects the generosity of the Lethbridge community. When the foundation first proposed raising $30 million over roughly 30 months, the timeline seemed ambitious.

“This gift just brings me gratitude. It demonstrates the leaders in the community. It demonstrates the businesses who have been here for a 100 years who want to give back because they care about the people that they’re serving,” Elliott said.

Now, with 87 per cent of the goal already reached, Elliott said the response from residents, volunteers, arts organizations, sports teams, and businesses has been inspiring.

“We can’t do any of the work we do without the community. Every person who attends a fundraiser or gives even a small gift is helping — no matter the size, it all counts,” she said.

Fundraising has ranged from modest individual donations to volunteer-driven musical performances and partnerships with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, alongside transformative corporate contributions like Murray Cadillac’s.

Chris Murray, general manager of Murray Cadillac Lethbridge, said the donation reflects pride in the city and a commitment to its future.

“We’ve always believed in giving back to the community,” Murray said. “With this being our 100th anniversary, it was the right time to make a larger contribution. This campaign is a way to give back to our employees, our customers, and the entire community — because we never know who might need cardiac care.”

For Zielke, the unfinished state of the cardiology area is a reminder that community support is still essential.

“This truly reflects how incredible our community is, and how they’ve stepped forward. Large transformative gifts are wonderful, but even the smallest donations — or volunteering and helping organize events — show how everyone is doing what they can to support this campaign. It’s been a beautiful thing to witness,” she said.

As the campaign moves toward its January 2027 finish, additional fundraisers are planned, including the Care from the Heart Radio-a-thon on Feb. 12, featuring stories in support of the campaign, and a Lethbridge Hurricanes game on Feb. 13, where ticket proceeds will go to the campaign.

With roughly 13 per cent of the fundraising goal remaining, organizers say the focus is on sustaining momentum and turning the finished space into a fully operational cardiac unit.

At 87 per cent of its target, the Bringing Hearts Home Campaign is increasingly defined not just by dollars raised, but by the people of Lethbridge — volunteers, donors, artists, and business leaders — who continue to step up so vital cardiac care can be delivered closer to home.