June 17, 2024
In leaving the largest-ever gift made by an individual to St. Boniface Hospital Foundation, Miriam Bergen followed the example set by her parents Martin and Ruth Bergen.
Miriam, who died in January of 2022, left a $10 million bequest to the Hospital in her estate, with half going to the new Emergency Department and half to the Cardiac Sciences Program at St. B.
If she was asked about her generous gift today, Bergen herself would refer it back to her beloved parents, according to Doris Gietz, Bergen’s younger cousin on her maternal side.
“Miriam would say, ‘I was raised in a family where it was important to give back to the community. I am happy to continue what my parents demonstrated to me all my life,’ throwing the spotlight from herself,” said Gietz. “She would say, ‘This is just what we Bergens do.’”
In expressing her deeply felt gratitude, St. Boniface Hospital President and CEO Nicole Aminot called Bergen’s gift transformational.
“We will make Miriam and her family proud.”
“I will never forget; I was standing in my kitchen making dinner when (Foundation President and CEO) Karen Fowler called me with the news. I was blown away,” she said. “St. Boniface Hospital is so very thankful to Miriam.”
“Words are not adequate to express what this gift means to our patients and our front-line heroes,” said Aminot.
“We will make Miriam and her family proud.”
Gifts often met needs in the community
Bergen was owner and president of Appleton Holdings Ltd., a privately held property development company in Winnipeg that carries on business as Edison Properties. Formerly known as Marlborough Developments, the business was founded by her father. It owns and manages several large residential buildings across the city.
Martin and Ruth predeceased Miriam. As parents, they instilled in her a strong sense of community, recalled Gietz. They were philanthropic leaders throughout their lives, she said.
“This is just what we Bergens do.”
“What I would tell you about the Bergen family’s charitable giving was that if a family member or someone else brought forward a need, it would often touch them. They would make a gift based on that need.”
“If Miriam saw any such need in her community, she quietly addressed it,” said Gietz. “Before her, my Uncle Martin had said in a few different ways, ‘If you are able to give, you should.’ Father and daughter shared that sense of responsibility in life. It was almost a duty,” she added.
While it could not have been widely predicted, the $10 million bequest to St. Boniface Hospital Foundation was not at all out of character for Bergen, asserted Gietz, also an executor of Bergen’s estate.
Quiet philanthropist can now be recognized
The Bergen family previously made a $3 million gift to the Hospital nearly 20 years ago. Their kindness made it possible for the Bergen Cardiac Care Centre at St. Boniface Hospital to open in December of 2006.
Today, the Bergen Centre provides access to cardiac care and clinics, cardiac operations, and specialized diagnostics to patients from across Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. Bergen’s final bequest will ensure Manitoba’s Cardiac Centre of Excellence at St. B stays at the forefront of modern cardiac care, with the latest and most advanced equipment available.
Dr. Anita Soni, Cardiac Sciences Medical Specialty Lead at St. Boniface Hospital, said she and her colleagues in the Cardiac Sciences Program are profoundly grateful to the Bergen family for their longstanding generosity.
“I understand Miriam was known as a quiet philanthropist. But if I had the chance, I would want her to know that her support will be used directly for the improvement of front-line patient care,” said Dr. Soni. “Miriam and her family’s dedication to our program will have a profound impact on the lives of countless people in our community who rely on our specialized cardiac services.”
Bergen carried on her philanthropy after her parents were gone; often linked to their memory, remembered Gietz. Most often, she made private contributions. “Miriam very rarely wanted any sort of recognition for what she gave,” she said.
“We all knew that Miriam was very private. I think it came down to myself and the other executors feeling that now it was time to recognize her. She had mentioned to me that she didn’t want the Bergen family legacy to be forgotten after she was gone,” said Gietz.
“So, the way for us to do that was to go beyond anonymous donations and make the community truly aware of just how generous the Bergen family was.”