Media Advisory Contact:

Bobby Maldonado

248-858-6662

Bobby.Maldonado@stjoeshealth.org

October 29, 2018

Caption: (From left to right) Gary and Karin Klapperich, organizers of the "It's A Great Day to Be Alive" fundraiser, attend the tenth annual event with Judy Stratman, director of Development at St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea. The Klapperichs recently presented Stratman with a $30,000 check to support services offered through the hospital's cancer center.

CHELSEA, Mich. (Oct. 29, 2018) – St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea (SJMC) recently received a $30,000 check from Gary and Karin Klapperich, organizers of the tenth annual "It's A Great Day to Be Alive" fundraiser. As in years past, funds raised from the event will support cancer services offered at the hospital.

"Every year, this fundraiser brings together friends and families to support the fight against cancer in our community," said Nancy Graebner, president and CEO of St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea. "In no small part due to Gary's own inspirational cancer journey, what began as a small community effort has grown to have a significant impact."

The annual event has raised $250,000 to date to benefit the Cancer Center at SJMC. The 16,500 square foot cancer center enables local residents to receive a wide range of cancer treatments, from surgery to chemotherapy and radiation, all under one roof close to home. As a member of Saint Joseph Mercy Health System, SJMC’s Cancer Center also provides access to regional resources including clinical research trials, genetic counseling, and CyberKnife® radiotherapy.

Over eleven years ago, Gary Klapperich, diagnosed with colon cancer, had successful cancer surgery at SJMC followed by chemotherapy at St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor. It was during the long hours of infusion that Gary kept his spirits up with the Travis Tritt tune "It's a Great Day to Be Alive" and the name of the fundraiser was born.

When Gary learned that SJMC was raising funds to build an infusion center and then a full cancer center close to home, Gary, along with his wife Karin, made the decision to hold a fundraiser each year to benefit the new cancer center.

Working with members of the Ann Arbor Fraternal Order of Eagles #2154, this event has become one of the largest three-day rummage sales in the area. Along with the rummage sale, the event includes silent and live auctions, raffles, bake sales, t-shirt and bracelet sales, 50/50 raffles, hair cutting for charity, and a myriad of other activities throughout the year, culminating in the event, held this year from August 16 thru 18.

"We are humbled by the outpouring of support from our friends, neighbors, and members of the community, especially the Eagles and our largest donor organizations, Thomson Reuters and The Bullseyes Hunt Club in Manchester," said Gary. "We are very proud to support the St. Joe's Chelsea Cancer Center, and to help ensure that future patients have local access to high quality cancer care."

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About Saint Joseph Mercy Health System

Saint Joseph Mercy Health System (SJMHS) is a health care organization serving seven counties in southeast Michigan including Livingston, Washtenaw, Wayne,

Oakland, Macomb, Jackson, and Lenawee. It includes 537-bed St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor, 443-bed St. Joseph Mercy Oakland in Pontiac, 304-bed St. Mary Mercy Livonia, 136-bed St. Joseph Mercy Livingston in Howell, and 133-bed St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea. Combined, the five hospitals are licensed for 1,553 beds, have five outpatient health centers, six urgent care facilities, more than 25 specialty centers; employ more than 15,300 individuals and have a medical staff of nearly 2,700 physicians. SJMHS has annual operating revenues of about $2 billion and returns about $120 million to its communities annually through charity care and community benefit programs. For more information on health services offered at Saint Joseph Mercy Health System, please visit www.stjoeshealth.org.

SJMHS is a member of Trinity Health, a leading Catholic health care system based in Livonia, Mich. Trinity Health operates in 22 states, employs about 131,000 people, has annual operating revenues of $17.6 billion and assets of $24.7 billion. Additionally, the organization returns about $1.1 billion to its communities annually in the form of charity care and other community benefit programs.

For more information on health services offered at Saint Joseph Mercy Health System, please visit www.stjoeshealth.org

About Michigan Medicine

At Michigan Medicine, the academic medical center of the University of Michigan, we create the future of healthcare through the discovery of new knowledge for the benefit of patients and society; educate the next generation of physicians, health professionals and scientists; and serve the health needs of our citizens. We pursue excellence every day with our affiliates and in our three hospitals, 40 outpatient locations and home care operations that handle more than 2.3 million outpatient visits a year.

Michigan Medicine is composed of the top ranked U-M Medical School and the University of Michigan Health System, which includes the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital, University Hospital, the Frankel Cardiovascular Center and the Comprehensive Cancer Center. Michigan Medicine’s adult hospitals were ranked no. 6 in the nation by U.S. News and World Report in 2017 and C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital was the only children’s hospital in Michigan nationally ranked in all 10 pediatric specialties analyzed by U.S. News and World Report for 2017-18.

The U- M Medical school ranked ninth in the nation in U.S. News and World Report’s Best Graduate Schools ranking in 2018, placing fifth in the country for training primary care physicians. The U-M Medical School also is one of the nation's biomedical research powerhouses, with total annual research funding of more than $470 million.

More information is available at www.michiganmedicine.org.