Austin singing group Michael Veldman and Friends recently donated $5,000 to the Mayo Clinic Health System Austin Foundation for the Karl R. Potach Pediatric Clinic, located on the Austin campus of Mayo Clinic Health System – Albert Lea and Austin.

Veldman and Friends, consisting of Michael Veldman, Kaye Perry, Erin Schumacher and Brian Bawek, is now in its eleventh year and donates part of the proceeds from their annual Christmas variety show to a local charity. This year they chose the Karl R. Potach Pediatric Clinic.

“The Potach family has been a main sponsor of our show from the beginning and we thought this donation would be a wonderful way to show our appreciation for their generosity and pay it forward,” Bawek said in a press release.

The Karl R. Potach Pediatric Clinic is located on the third floor of the Austin clinic.

While the clinic is currently seeing patients, it’s scheduled to be completed soon and a grand opening is being planned for this spring. It will include special amenities for children such as an aquarium, artwork featuring animals, and a TV feed from the Minnesota Zoo. Karl Potach enjoyed similar amenities while receiving treatment for Wilms, a pediatric cancer which typically presents on the kidney in toddler-aged children. He lost his battle with cancer at the age of 5.

“We are so grateful for all of the support the community of Austin has shown us for this project,” Dr. Kurt and Brenda Potach said in a statement. “Michael Veldman and Friends have shown their support and appreciation for the community of Austin in many ways through the years. We feel so blessed that they chose to support the Karl R. Potach Pediatric Clinic this year. They are a gracious group of individuals. We’ve enjoyed being a part of what they do each year as they bring so much joy to the Christmas season. We are excited about what is ahead for the Karl Clinic! Our heartfelt thanks goes out to Michael Veldman and Friends for their generosity.”