Toy Poodle Abby’s positive experience with UW Veterinary Care inspired a $50,000 family gift, which became a $100,000 donation to the UW School of Veterinary Medicine’s building expansion thanks to the BerbeeWalsh matching gift. (Photo courtesy Jim Brager)
In the Brager family, it is a long-held tradition to love and cherish animals. Walter and Lois Brager are no exceptions, and they preserved this heritage through the deep bond they shared with their Toy Poodle, Abby.
“The family joke is that my parents have a very large painting of Abby above their bed and only a small, five-by-seven picture of their three kids on a nightstand,” says their son, Jim Brager. “So you know the importance of Abby in the family pecking order.”
The family fondness for animals continues today with the newest generation, especially in Jim Brager’s daughter, Laura Bloomquist DVM’11, whose passion guided her to a career in
veterinary medicine. She now works as a veterinarian at St. Michael Veterinary Clinic in Minnesota.
During her training as a student at the UW School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM), Bloomquist witnessed first-hand the difference that the school can make in the lives of animals. So when Abby began to show signs of congestive heart failure, Bloomquist recommended that her grandparents take her to see the cardiology specialists at UW Veterinary Care (UWVC). Under their expert guidance, the Bragers were able to manage Abby’s condition and extend her life while keeping her comfortable and happy.
“They gave my grandparents a lot of extra quality time with her,” says Bloomquist.
UWVC had handed the Bragers a precious gift, and the family found a special way to say “thank you” through the CLM Park Foundation. Stemming from a foundation originally established by Lois Brager’s aunt, Marion Park Deaver, and her husband, Harry Gilbert Deaver, the CLM Park Foundation’s board meets each year to determine the charities it will support. The board membership includes Lois Brager as well as Jim Brager and his two siblings. Bloomquist and eight other grandchildren also help identify and select worthwhile causes for the foundation.
“My parents were very pleased with the care and attention that little Abby received,” says Jim Brager. “When we had our annual meeting to discuss possible recipients for donations, we thought that the UW School of Veterinary Medicine would be a perfect choice.”
Walter Brager passed away in 2015, so for Bloomquist, the gift was a tremendous way to honor her grandfather, celebrate her grandparents’ connection to the SVM through Abby, and support her alma mater all at once.
“I thought it was a wonderful idea,” she says. “I know that the teaching hospital can always use money for equipment and supplies. And I had a great experience at the school. The professors
and clinicians were excellent, and some of my best friends today were my classmates. It was tough work, but definitely worth it. I’m just glad they gave me the opportunity to do what I’ve always dreamed of doing.”
When Bloomquist approached the SVM about a gift, she and her family learned about a new matching opportunity, one that could turn their generosity into an even larger boon for the school’s ongoing campaign for a building expansion. Themed Animals Need Heroes Too, the campaign aims to greatly expand the footprint of the crowded hospital, which sees more than 26,000 patient visits per year in a facility built to accommodate 12,000. This includes greater space for emergency and critical care, isolation areas, imaging and diagnostics, and dedicated teaching and learning spaces. The expansion also makes room for more basic and high-security infectious disease labs focused on global threats like Zika and dengue, among other major improvements.
To support this effort, UW–Madison alumni Karen Walsh and Jim Berbee pledged $3 million to match gifts of $25,000 or more toward the building campaign. The Bragers jumped at the opportunity, and a $50,000 gift from their foundation quickly turned into $100,000.
“We are very honored to participate in the building expansion, and we thank Jim Berbee and Karen Walsh for their match,” says Jim Brager. “My aunt and uncle felt very strongly about the advancement of education, so this donation dovetails well with the founding principles of their foundation. We look forward to watching the new addition progress.”
Nik Hawkins
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