Hamilton philanthropist and successful businessman Charles Juravinski has died at the age of 92.
According to friends, Charles died in his sleep Tuesday night.
Charles was born in November 1929 in Saskatchewan. His childhood was spent enduring poverty and hardship during the Great Depression when he experienced first-hand what it was like to live without work, money, heat and running water.
He moved to Hamilton as a child with his family in 1942.
Charles co-founded a Dundas-based construction company in the mid-to-late 1950s and owned a series of businesses, which included a gas station and a development company.
After his construction business shut down, he was approached by Ray Connell, a local farmer, horseman and politician, to open a racetrack.
Ray and Charles purchased a property in Flamborough Township in the early 1970s which later became home to the Flamboro Downs Racetrack.
Charles and his wife Margaret successfully managed the track until 2002 when it was sold to Magna Entertainment Corp.
The Juravinski’s have made considerable donations to health care providers throughout Hamilton including the establishment of a new state-of-the-art cancer care facility at the former Henderson General Hospital, now the Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre.
In 2019, Charles and Margaret created an endowment of more than $100 million to support researchers across Hamilton Health Sciences, McMaster University and St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.
The estate gift is one of Canada’s largest-ever legacy gifts and will provide up to $5 million a year to the institutions, in perpetuity.
RELATED STORY: Charles and Margaret Juravinski pledge $100M for health research in Hamilton
At the time, the couple wrote a heartfelt letter to the community that detailed their desire to give back to the community that supported their endeavors and create a lasting impact.
A year later, during the onset of the pandemic, the Juravinski’s wrote a second letter detailing an additional donation of $3.3 million in hopes of providing “a little good news in difficult times” while supporting COVID-19 and brain health research.
RELATED STORY: Philanthropists Charles and Margaret Juravinski give $3.3M to COVID-19 research
In November 2020, the Juravinski’s decided to mark Charles’ birthday by giving instead of receiving presents.
They celebrated the 91-year-old by donating another $3 million to support health research through the Juravinski Research Institute, which works with Hamilton Health Sciences, McMaster University and St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.
RELATED STORY: Charles and Margaret Juravinski invest $3 million in health research in Hamilton
That money is on top of the more than $50 million the couple has given to Hamilton organizations, which include support for the Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre at Hamilton Health Sciences, the Margaret & Charles Juravinski Education, Research & Development Centre at McMaster University and the Margaret & Charles Juravinski Centre for Integrated Healthcare and the Juravinski Innovation Tower at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.
Days before the announcement of Charles’ passing, the couple gave a $5.1-million Valentine’s Day gift to support new research projects at the Juravinski Research Institute focused on child and youth health, integrated care and burn trauma.
“We’ve had more than 65 Valentine’s Days together, and we’ve received more than our share of chocolates and flowers over the years,” said Margaret and Charles in a press release. “Recently, we’ve loved learning about how the gifts we are making are quite literally changing the lives of people in our city and across the country. Valentine’s Day is a beautiful opportunity for us to show our love for Hamilton and its robust community of talented, innovative health researchers and practitioners.”
In the past, the couple has said the greatest pleasure in life and the most powerful force for good in the world is sharing.
A declaration they have certainly lived by.
