Shenandoah Country Club sets the pace for faith-based philanthropy

U-M alumnus Giavino Murad (A.B. 2023) witnessed firsthand the importance of compassionate support for patients and families during his father’s cancer treatments at Michigan Medicine.

“I was always taking my dad to all his treatments and visits, and cancer treatment is so challenging,” he says. “I was so blessed to be able to be with my dad and able to help him out, comfort him and my siblings, and still be able to work and take care of my family business.”

Inspired by his father’s cancer journey, Murad got involved with the annual Miami Dolphins Cancer Challenge several years ago, at the invitation of a friend, U-M student Harrison Garfinkel, who has been participating in the event for many years.

“It was actually funny,” says Murad. “My friend called me and said, ‘Hey, I know you’ve been going through a lot with your dad. I’d love for you to participate in this event with me. We raise money and do a bike ride.’”

“I said, ‘no problem, how far are we riding?’ and he said, ‘Oh, 100 miles,’” says Murad. “So every year, I bike 100 miles for cancer research in Florida, and it is just unbelievable, the number of people there fighting for one cause together.”

Bringing the vision to Michigan

Murad’s father, Bassam Murad, has a long relationship with Michigan Medicine, beginning at age 11, when his life was saved by James Stanley, M.D., professor emeritus of surgery, and continuing through his cancer treatments today. Because of his father’s history, Murad became interested in organizing a similar event in Michigan and spent four days with his friend, learning how the event was organized.

“I toured the entire facility, and they showed me the playbook,” he says. "I developed a great relationship with Javier Sanchez, executive director for the Dolphins Cancer Challenge, who has been with me every step of the way since then." 

Unfortunately, Murad had to put his plans on hold when his father’s cancer returned, but he didn’t stop thinking about the event he hoped to organize someday.

“I had to put everything on pause,” he says. “And as time went on, I was also focusing on work, and things were very busy. But I knew this was always going to be a dream of mine and hoped to continue it further down the line when I had more free time.”

After graduating from U-M, Murad joined the Young Adult Committee of the Shenandoah Country Club, where his family and many friends are members. The Shenandoah Country Club, located in West Bloomfield, Michigan, was established in 1943 and is the largest Chaldean country club in the United States. With the support of the Young Adult Committee and at the urging of his younger brother, Roman Murad, and cousin, Collin Barbat, Murad decided to pursue his goal again.

“I thought, ‘What if I could just do a 5k walk and run? Now that I have a team who can help me, a 5k shouldn’t be too hard.’”

From inspiration to action

The Murad family has remained close to Stanley, the surgeon who saved their father’s life when he was a child, and Stanley connected Murad to Michigan Medicine’s Office of Development. Murad called Kristen Kurtz, director of digital fundraising in Michigan Medicine’s Office of Development, to learn how the Young Adult Committee could work with her to make the event a success.

Within one month, the Shenandoah and Michigan Medicine teams had brought the event together.  

In addition to the Young Adult Committee, Vilda Garmo, Shenandoah’s events planner, played a central role, as did Young Adult Committee president Paul Qarana and Young Adult Committee member Anne Tartoni, who managed communications between Shenandoah and Michigan Medicine.

Murad found his brother’s and cousin’s involvement especially meaningful. “I was so happy and proud. They facilitated everything with me,” says Murad. “They were like my right and left hand, and being able to see their generation come aboard was the coolest thing ever.”

“The Chaldean community has a long history of support for Michigan Medicine,” says Kurtz, “and it has been so exciting to work alongside this next generation of leaders on this project. Their enthusiasm and commitment made my professional guidance for the planning of their event so easy.”

Murad asked his brother and cousin to review the list of programs Kurtz shared with them. They decided the walk should support Patient and Family Support Services (PFSS) at the Rogel Cancer Center.

“They asked me what I thought,” says Murad, “and I told them ‘I love it, no questions to ask. This is perfect.’”

PFSS offers specialized care to patients and families facing cancer, including mental health referrals, psychosocial support, art and music therapy, individual and group therapy, spiritual care, and family support. The goal is to help people focus on hope and healing.

An outstanding community event

The 5k was held in October 2025 on the grounds of the club.

“Everyone loved it,” says Murad. “We had so much positive feedback. Our club had never done anything like this; it was our first ever 5k. We had over 165 participants show up. People were cheering each other on, and it just went great. I couldn’t ask for a better event.”

Donna Murphy, LMSW, director of PFSS and co-director of psych oncology at Michigan Medicine, attended the event.

“They are an amazing group,” she says, “not only with their energy, enthusiasm, and time, but their sheer benevolence and desire to support people going through a cancer diagnosis is truly remarkable. We are so fortunate to have them supporting the Rogel Cancer Center and PFSS.”

“The efforts of the Young Adult Committee are creating a lasting philanthropic legacy for the Rogel Cancer Center,” says Kurtz.

After the 5k was complete, participants celebrated with food, drinks, music, and even a small cigar bar. The event raised over $36,000 for PFSS. These funds will provide many hours of therapy, education, and much-needed resources for patients and families, and Murad hopes to raise even more next year.

“The generosity and commitment shown by the Shenandoah Country Club and its Young Adult Committee is inspiring,” says Nicole Zollinger, Managing Director of Development in Michigan Medicine’s Office of Development. “These funds will make a direct and meaningful difference. Every dollar means more comfort and healing support for patients and families and ensures that no one faces cancer alone.”

“We have a meeting coming up in January, and the committee and the rest of the club are so excited,” Murad says. “This meant so much to all of us. We are young, and it is the coolest thing to see my generation do something like this. I’m really excited to see how next year takes off, and we have so many more plans and a lot more work to do.”

The Shenandoah Country Club 5k highlights the power of people coming together for a shared purpose and marks an exciting new chapter in community-driven support for patients and families at the Rogel Cancer Center.

If you are interested in helping to support people who are facing cancer, please visit the Patient and Family Support Services Program giving page.

About the Look to Michigan campaign