Kyle Braatz, Rachel Braatz, Neil Malhotra to co-chair CHEO Foundation’s $220M campaign

At the heart of Kyle Braatz’s philanthropy is a recurring theme: transforming personal grief into meaningful contributions to the community.  Whether it’s biking across the country or celebrating milestone birthdays, it’s consistently done in memory of individuals who have inspired him and with the ultimate goal of helping others. Now, he’s teaming up with his wife, family law lawyer Rachel Braatz, and fellow business leader Neil Malhotra to make their biggest impact in volunteer fundraising. The trio is co-chairing CHEO’s $220-million Kids These Days campaign to help transform pediatric care at the children’s hospital.  “For us, it was an honour to be asked,” said Braatz, co-founder and CEO of Fullscript, an Ottawa-based online health-care platform focused on whole-person care. He and Rachel are also parents of three children under the age of five. “It was never really a question of ‘Would we?’." CHEO may be a beloved institution but it’s facing increasing challenges. The hospital’s infrastructure is aging, yet it’s having to serve a growing young population with ever more complex needs. Said Rachel: “For me, it’s been eye-opening. Raising that awareness is part of our strategy because people don’t know why the need is there and why this redevelopment is so necessary.” Braatz will be looking to engage local startups and technology firms to support the children’s hospital. “I think this is a good opportunity and test for Rachel and me,” said the 2022 CEO of the Year, as chosen by the Ottawa Board of Trade and Ottawa Business Journal. “How do we penetrate that group of individuals and really get them committing and contributing to their community the way they should?” Malhotra was born and raised in Ottawa. He holds the position of chief financial officer of both Claridge Homes, a prominent local real estate development company founded in 1986 by his father, Bill Malhotra, and of Riverstone Retirement Communities. His wife Ainsley is a long-time volunteer at CHEO and currently serves as board chair of its Foundation. They are also the parents of three children, two of whom are now teenagers. Ainsley broached the subject with Malhotra about a year ago as to whether he’d co-chair the upcoming campaign. “I thought about it — I had a lot going on at the time — and, eventually, I agreed,” said Malhotra, before adding with a touch of self-deprecating humour: “I might have taken too long and left them with no other options.” Malhotra said he felt “a duty to the community” to take on the volunteer role after being inspired by other business leaders who have made similar commitments.  “It’s an exciting challenge and we’re going to do our best to achieve the goals,” said Malhotra, who views CHEO as “the most important” institution around. While the CHEO Foundation is still in the early days of its campaign, the co-chairs will likely help the organization identify individuals in their friendship and professional circles keen to invest in CHEO and in the well-being of children, said CHEO Foundation president and CEO Steve Read. The co-chairs will also be working with a volunteer campaign cabinet that’s currently being assembled. Read said he remains “very grateful” to the co-chairs for stepping up in such a big way during a critical time for the hospital. “Kyle, Rachel and Neil — they’re all such well-respected professionals in their own right and yet they're also known for their generosity and their philanthropic support for all sorts of important charities in this area,” said Read. “The fact that they wanted to co-chair it together, as a group of three, says so much about how much they want to help, and how they want to work together to mobilize our community," said Read. “They see the same needs that we see in terms of all the investments we need to make to address the challenges that CHEO is facing.” One of the campaign’s many priorities is to improve access to mental health services at CHEO. Malhotra personally knows families whose children have faced such struggles. Said Malhotra: "If kids can’t get to a healthy place, mentally or physically, they face a steep challenge in settling into life and achieving success, whatever that may mean.” Braatz began volunteer fundraising as a young student in the Telfer School of Management program at the University of Ottawa. Rachel is also a uOttawa graduate, earning her law degree there. “One of the things that I heard while I was in school was this saying that your twenties are for learning, your thirties are for earning and your forties are for giving back,” recalled Braatz. “For me, it was ‘Why wait if there’s an opportunity right now’.” He created a non-profit that would see him and three of his buddies cycle from Port Renfrew, B.C. to St. John’s. N.L. over a three-month period, raising roughly $150,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society. He completed the journey in memory of his granddad, the late Frank Moores, who was also a former premier of Newfoundland. Last year, Malhotra and Braatz were among the dozen-plus business leaders from the Ottawa-Gatineau region to become minority partners of the Ottawa Senators hockey club.  The Braatzes’ connection to the hockey club has deepened their relationship with CHEO and, in turn, to Griffin Bell – the six-year-old boy who won hearts around the region before, sadly, passing away from cancer last March 18. “I think that when we did the Ottawa Senators deal and joined that community, we ended up getting really close with the Bell family,” said Braatz. “Seeing that kid run around the [Canadian Tire Centre hockey] arena like he owned that place inspired us so much to want to give back and get involved.” When Braatz celebrated his 40th earlier this year, he did so with a big party that raised more than $300,000 for two causes: CHEO Foundation, in memory of Griffin Bell, and The Ottawa Hospital Foundation, in honour of their late friend, Ryan “Diesel” Forbes, 45. “I would say everything we like to get involved in is usually inspired by people that we end up getting close to or are connected to,” said Braatz. “It just makes it that much more special.” While at uOttawa, Braatz became close friends with fellow student Noelle Paquette. She went on to become a Catholic elementary school teacher in the Sarnia area. She was caring and compassionate, the kind of teacher who brought extra snacks and school supplies to share with students in need. Then the unthinkable happened: she was murdered.  Braatz, with Rachel at his side, carried on Paquette’s legacy by creating a charity called Noelle’s Gift to Children. The non-profit has to date raised millions to help improve the lives of kids in the areas of learning, healthy nutrition, physical activity and basic necessities.  “There are people who are motivated by money, people who are motivated by power, and people who are motivated by impact,” said Braatz. “I think we fall into the latter. To just be a part of something and to make an impact is what gets us going at the end of the day." Added Rachel: “It makes the moments that matter — the good and bad — more meaningful.” caroline@obj.ca