HeartGift is a nonprofit that provides congenital heart defect surgery to children around the world who may not have access to specialized medical care in their area, according to HeartGift’s website. Established in 2000, the organization has helped more than 400 patients in over 34 countries.
“We wanted to do something that came from the heart,” said Jeremy Rader of Krause’s Café. “We want to give the gift of a heart for Valentine’s Day.”
The team at Krause’s hopes to raise $25,000 to bring Salimat and her family to the United States and to pay for their housing as she recovers from surgery.
According to Rader, the operating room was donated by a Christus Santa Rosa hospital in San Antonio, and the surgery team has also donated their time for the operation.
“We’re the vessel of their outreach,” Rader said. “We want to make the healing process as easy as possible.”
As part of the fundraiser, proceeds from several New Braunfels Farmers Market vendors will be donated toward HeartGift on Feb. 8, and Krause’s will host a special event Feb. 14, with live music, food and drinks.
For more information about HeartGift, visit www.heartgift.org.
