Donor response to this year’s annual Radiothon of Hope and Healing at St. Boniface Hospital was unlike any other before it. 

“This was the biggest total ever raised in the history of the Radiothon, a total of $350,000!” exclaimed Larry Vickar of presenting event sponsor Vickar Automotive Group, on air with 680 CJOB at the end of the day. 

Radiothon days are always special and exciting. But on November 21, 2025, St. Boniface Foundation staff and volunteers said they had never seen the phones as busy as they were. Meanwhile, gifts flooded in online and in person as well. 

Local radio institution 680 CJOB broadcast live with interviews all day from the Hospital’s on-site Galerie Buhler Gallery (along with sister stations Country 99 and Power 97). The original fundraising target to open the day was already an ambitious $200,000. However, by noon it became clear that listeners were not satisfied with that amount.  

So, at 12:30 p.m., the Foundation increased the target – by a third – to a new one-day goal of $300,000.

Then, donors and matching sponsors from across Manitoba surpassed even that.  

St. Boniface Hospital Foundation was overwhelmed and humbled by the support of our donors, the community, and our sponsors. Gifts to patient care and research at St. Boniface Hospital poured in so quickly the amount raised by day’s end had reached an unprecedented $350,000. 

Meanwhile, part of the Hospital’s Everett Atrium leading to the Gallery was transformed into “Hope and Healing Avenue”. St. B staff and visitors came and went along the Avenue throughout the day, learning about products and promotions from exhibitors like Vickar Automotive Group, All Seniors Care, and Empty Cup. 

Manitobans tuned in for inspiring stories

The lineup of special guests for this Radiothon was as impressive, if not more so, as any in previous years: grateful St. B patients, physicians and surgeons, generous donors, world class researchers, local business leaders, and even the art gallery curator all chatted with the radio hosts about their connections to patient care and medical research at St. Boniface Hospital and to the Foundation. 

Henry Suarez, on the phone from his home in Thunder Bay, shared his story of experiencing a life-threatening Stanford type A aortic dissection in March of 2025. The aortic tear triggered a 700 km emergency airlift for life-saving open-heart surgery at Manitoba’s Cardiac Centre of Excellence, St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg. 

“I was very happy to end up in Winnipeg at St. Boniface, that’s for sure,” Suarez told 680 CJOB hosts Brent Megarry and Greg Mackling. “I felt very comfortable, very safe as soon as I got there; the confidence level was through the roof. Their care and their compassion were stellar.”  

“When I arrived in Winnipeg, as soon as Dr. Jonathan Hong, a surgeon with Cardiac Sciences at the Hospital, spoke to me I knew I was going to be OK. And that was a weird feeling, after several hours of being told that you are likely to die. Then one individual tells you, you’re going to be fine. His confidence gave me hope, and that’s an outstanding thing. I can’t put a price on that; it was a magical moment for me,” Suarez continued.  

Emergency Department an example of donor impact

In the afternoon, Kirsten Halden, Director of Major Gifts at the Foundation, chatted with host Richard Cloutier about fundraising and donor impact. 

“We at the Foundation get to talk every day to donors about the projects they’re passionate about. We do our best to link them with the initiatives at the Hospital and Albrechtsen Research Centre they want to support,” explained Halden. 

About St. B’s newly renovated and expanded Emergency Department, Halden said: “After it opened to the public in October, when you walk through that space, it just feels different. It’s three times the size of what it was before.” 

“It almost feels like you’re in a different city,” remarked Cloutier. 

“The old Emergency Department was a small space; there was a lot of noise. Now it’s much quieter,” said Halden. “It impacts the staff, but it also impacts the patients. You’re not hearing the same beeping noises and equipment noises you heard in the past,” she added. 

“So much of our community stepped up for that project. We raised $10 million for the Emergency Department all because of people in the community who decided to invest in that.” 

A special thank you to Larry and Tova, Sam and Odessa, Stephen and Marie, and Mason and Vaughn Vickar for their generous family gift that helped us reach the final total of the day! 

See our Radiothon page for a list of sponsors and more from this year’s exciting event, and our Facebook to see this year’s photos. A special thank-you to Vickar Automotive Group volunteers for answering the phones all day to make Radiothon such a success.

A special thank-you to Vickar Automotive Group volunteers for answering the phones all day to make Radiothon such a success.

Don’t wait until next year’s Radiothon! Support patient care and research today.