The donor: Richard McGraw
The gift: Raising $335,000
The cause: Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children
Richard McGraw was planning a trip to Africa last year to climb Mount Kilimanjaro when a friend offered him a challenge.
"I was probably three weeks into my training and my friend says, 'Why aren't you making something happen and raising some money for something?'" recalled Mr. McGraw, 73, who is president of Greenrock Capital Partners. Mr. McGraw contacted Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children to see what it needed most. He turned the trip into a fundraising event to raise money for laser equipment to treat patients with brain cancer and epilepsy.
He made the climb last summer and raised $335,000 (he and his wife Gayle matched every donation). More than 300 people contributed to the campaign, and the hospital has already bought the equipment and used it to treat several children.
Next summer, he's participating in a kayaking trip to raise money for military families.