A Sherwood Park couple left quite a generous donation to the Strathcona Community Hospital Foundation after passing away.
The foundation announced last week that Mary and Alfred Kublik had posthumously gifted them with $1.8 million to help the hospital better serve the community.
"We received a call from a law firm saying they had a cheque for us for $1.8 million as part of the estate of the Kubliks," said Ken Lesniak, the chair of the foundation.
"Both of them were treated at the hospital in their last years and they were really pleased with the service, care, and compassion they got from the staff, the doctors, and nurses."
Alfred passed away back in 2018, while Mary died in 2021.
The couple spent most of their lives in Slave Lake but came to Sherwood Park after retiring.
This is the largest donation that the foundation has ever received and one that they are incredibly grateful to have.
"We're humbled by it," said Lesniak. "It's a significant signal to what we offer in Sherwood Park."
At the moment the foundation is in the process of deciding what to put the money toward. The money has been invested as they gain feedback from staff at the hospital and the community before a committee is formed to make a final decision.
"The challenge, of course, is to ensure that the money that they left us is going to be used for the purposes they wanted and that the staff at the hospital can feel that they have been recognized for the service they provide," said Lesniak.
In the short term, a memorial to the Kubliks will be put up at the hospital to honour their donation.
The Strathcona hospital foundation treats 44,000 patients per year and is currently in the process of building a $1.5 million IV therapy wing.