SIOUX FALLS, S.D.–The Dakota Credit Union Foundation has made a $50,000 donation to Sanford Children’s Hospital that honors the infant child of a CU employee who passed away.
The funds are part of a $200,000 commitment the association has made to three children’s hospitals in North and South Dakota.
The funds were earmarked for a memorial to honor Charlie. Murano, a toddler who lost his battle against a rare form of brain and spine cancer.
Charlie is the son of Abby and Joel Murano, and Abby is a staff member at Dakotaland Federal Credit Union in Aberdeen, and previously served on the foundation’s board.
According to the foundation, the Murano family recently made a trip to Sanford Children’s Hospital for a very different reason than previous trips to the hospital. This time the trip was for the official reveal of the pediatric oncology exam room named in honor of Charlie.
A ’Meaningful Honor’
“We wanted to honor Charlie in a meaningful way,” said April Tompkins, foundation board chair and CEO of Explorer’s Credit Union in Yankton, S.D. “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.
Controlling ‘How We Respond’
Added Abby Murano, “When Charlie was diagnosed with this unfortunate disease, our family was devastated. 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.
The Support Provided
Ashton Siebrecht, development officer for Sanford Health Foundation said the support from the Dakota Credit Union Foundation will help support programs such as Child Life, music therapy, on-site teacher, or meal vouchers, mileage reimbursement, and lodging for families.
A video can be watched here.