The net proceeds from the event totaled $168,000, plus $65,500 for Crit Line monitors, $3,000 for new chairs and $18,450 to support the Dialysis Services Endowment.

Well we have some very exciting news. Dialysis Services received its new chairs this week, and they already are in use! Each of the stations in the unit now has a brand new, heated chair that’s as comfy as your favorite home recliner and a new hospital-grade TV. Each station also has its own Crit Lines, to help monitor fluid removal, plus a few back-up machines.

The unit got new portable DVD players that can be shared around and a DVD library for patient use. There’s also a new TV in the waiting room plus two TVs with built-in DVD players for the training rooms (for out-patient services).

Last year’s Mayfaire donors have made a world of difference for our Dialysis patients, who spend three to five hours a day, three days a week, each and every week of the year undergoing treatment in the unit.

Thank you again to everyone who partnered with us through Mayfaire 2011. We are grateful for your continued support as we move ahead with our campaign to expand the Benefis Peace Hospice Residential Facility, our 2012 Mayfaire beneficiary.

Then, another day, one of our longest-term staff members, Judy Doheny, sent me something she had prepared for our Board, and with it she wrote a note answering the exact question I had asked a few weeks earlier. I was waiting for the right day to post it, and I think today’s the day.

“One thing I think is so meaningful since the start of the Foundation was the establishment of the Angel Fund in 1997. I so remember the first ‘fundraising’ efforts to establish the fund – Cindy Kay living on top of Holiday Village for a week over Memorial Day weekend, the coins and checks we received, the money out of the cedar box (Tyson Smith’s), plastic bags of coins dropped off by children…

“And then, giving a check to young families that needed to travel with their newborn to another hospital for treatment. Wow! They thought they’d just won the lottery.

“Helping everyday people is so powerful and meaningful.”

Clearly working at the Foundaiton is more than just a job for Judy. She absolutely loves supporting our mission of improving and enhancing healthcare services for people in our area. And we are very fortunate to have her on our team.

I felt like today was the right day to post this because of her reference to Tyson Smith. Tyson was a young boy whose family was helped through the Angel Fund shortly after it began. He was suffering from cancer and, sadly, lost his battle with the disease when he was just 13. What is really special is that his parents found some money hidden away in his cedar box and decided to donate the money back to the Angel Fund. They knew he’d like helping other children in the same way he had been helped.

“From our angel to your Angel Network, please accept this donation,” his parents wrote.

Another very special aspect of this bittersweet story is that Tyson’s younger brother, Cory Smith, who is all grown up now, is carrying on this legacy of helping children suffering with terrible illnesses. Cory and his partner, Jared Jones, own the extreme sports promotion and clothing company 221 Industries. Shortly after they started their business, they worked with the Foundation to establish the 221 Children’s Fund and Endowment to help children up through age 18 with any healthcare need. Tyson, of course, was their inspiration.

Tonight is the 2nd annual 221 Children’s Fund Banquet to benefit the 221 Children’s Funds. The fundraiser will take place at the Best Western Heritage Inn and feature dinner, live music, stand-up comedy, appearances by professional extreme sports athletes, live and silent auctions and a raffle. Tickets cost $25 or $175 for a table of 8. For tickets, call 781-5536, 788-9109 or 781-0252.

So there’s some great fun to be had tonight and it’s for a truly great cause. Get your tickets now, if you haven’t already.

Thanks for the reminder, Judy.

As Quincy’s birthday was approaching, the woman and her husband decided to tell their family and friends that no gifts were necessary but that they could make a donation to the Angel Fund in Quincy’s honor, if they wanted to.

“I felt like we have everything we need,” she said.

The woman said her parents had raised her to be philanthropic, and they’d often do something charitable in lieu of birthday gifts. She is hoping that her children will want to do the same thing when they get a little older.

While it was an easy option for Quincy’s birthday this year, she admitted it would take quite a bit of convincing to get her 5-year-old son to agree to asking for donations instead of gifts.

“You have to wait until they’re a little older, like 8 or 9,” she laughed.

Happy birthday to you, Quincy! Thanks for the thoughtful gift to help other children in our region.

The Great Falls man recently gave his valuable piece “Riding High” to the Sletten Cancer Institute through Benefis Health System Foundation.

“I just hope people enjoy it,” said Bob.

The original piece was sculpted by Earl E. Heikka, who was born in Belt in 1910. Earl, along with fellow sculptor Curt S. Dennis, was a student of Charlie Russell and created more than 200 fine works before his untimely death in 1941, according to the book “E. E. Heikka, Sculptor of the American West,” by Vivian Paladin.

Bob came to be the proud owner of the bronze after doing some paint jobs for a local contractor many years ago. Instead of payment, the contractor gave him the bronze, of which he owned the original.

“He said, ‘If you don’t want it, I’ll buy it back from you,’” said Bob.

Bob was pleased to add “Riding High,” valued at $3,500, to his personal collection and intended one day to pass it along to his son, Mike. But, sadly, Mike passed away in 2011.

That’s when Bob decided to give it to the SCI. A cancer survivor himself, he also has many friends who’ve been treated at the center and he’s longtime friends with the Sletten family.

We can’t thank Bob enough for his wonderful gift for all who visit the Sletten Cancer Institute. Be sure to come by the SCI and see it the next time you have a chance.

On the subject of giving, I wanted to share a neat story that I happened upon:

The Wise Woman’s Stone

A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation. The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the wise woman.

“I’ve been thinking,” he said, “I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone.” 

 Author Unknown

I just think it’s a sweet story. I, too, want some of what that woman has within her; I’m sure we all do.

Anyway, happy year-end and happy New Year!

Of course, all of these people are in the business of taking care of people, so giving is a part of their jobs. But when the holidays roll around, you see they also are very giving outside of their jobs.

Here’s a look at some of the ways the employees at various Benefis Health System departments have made the holidays a little brighter for other people in our community.

Cardiology collected items to donate to the Rescue Mission, YWCA and Meals on Wheels.

Education Services put together goodie baskets for three families battling cancer and donated nearly $250 to four worthy causes: Caring for Our Own, Volunteers, Pluck for a Buck and the Adopt-a-Family Fund.

Facilities (Maintenance & Clinical Engineering) provided Christmas gifts for six children from three families. They collected more than $500, which went to purchase clothing and toys; it was the unit’s most successful holiday fundraiser ever. Also, more than $100 worth of items were donated. The employees wrapped the gifts for volunteers to deliver to the families.

The Heart & Vascular Institute put clothes and toys under the Christmas tree for an adopted family and gathered clothes and blankets for Aging Services.

Peace Hospice employees provided a traditional Thanksgiving meal for hospice patients and their families.

Material Services checked off the Christmas lists of eight children, providing them with $350 worth of toys and clothes.

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit adopted a homeless family and provided them with clothes, bus passes and $350 to put toward a down payment on an apartment.

OB, NICU & Pediatrics shared the warmth of the holiday season by collecting 31 hats, 39 pairs of gloves, 6 pairs of mittens and 2 scarves for the Children’s Receiving Home.

Outpatient Therapies and Acute Care Therapies donated cash and items to St. Martin de Porres mission to help families in need. Outpatient donated more than $200 in cash and provided gifts for a family of six. Acute Care donated a trunk and backseat full of toys and homemaking supplies to two single moms and their children plus $50 worth of gift cards for food.

At least 35 staff and family members from Spectrum PBS and Equipment Services sang Christmas carols and delivered cookie trays to residents at the Beehive, Cambridge Court and the Hospice Residential Facility.

Nice job, Benefis.

The Benefis Sletten Cancer Institute is hosting a bone marrow donor registration drive on Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Resource Center. The Inland Northwest Blood Center is funding the drive, which means you can register FREE OF CHARGE!

And here are 10 great reasons why you should join:

10. Every year hundreds of thousands of patients nationwide are diagnosed with life-threatening diseases, and their best or only hope of a cure is a bone marrow transplant.

9. You only have a 25 or 30 percent chance of finding a donor match within your family, which means we need more people on the registry.

8. Joining the registry is easy. Potential donors must be 18 to 60, in good health and not excessively overweight. After the donor completes the consent booklet, a cheek swab is taken for tissue typing. And that’s it!

7. Did I mention it’s FREE?

6. Bone marrow is homemade and renewable, which makes it the perfect gift to give. (Remember, it’s Christmastime!)

5. If your wife, husband, parent or child ever needs a bone marrow transplant, you’ll be very hopeful that as many people as possible are on the registry so the chances of your family member finding a match are as great as they can be.

4. It’s cozy and warm at the Sletten Cancer Institute, with the fireplace aglow and the Java City coffee piping hot.

3. If you end up matching a patient and pass the additional blood tests for donating marrow, you only need to travel as far as Spokane.

2. The donor does not incur any of the expenses related to the transplant; this special gift is perfectly free to give.

And the number one reason why you should join the Be The Match registry…

1. You don’t get very many opportunities to save someone’s life!

www.marrow.org

These scholarships are possible because of the many donors who give to the Healthcare Scholarship Program and also those who’ve created a Named Scholarship Endowment through the Foundation. You all are giving a wonderful gift to these students and also to our community, as we all will benefit from the expert services these soon-to-be caregivers will provide upon completing their degrees.

Here are testimonials from some of the awardees:

“I have worked as a physical therapy aid for four years, and I really enjoy working with patients. After I finish the Physical Therapist Assistant program, I am looking forward to returning to the healthcare field to help patients regain their quality of life. Thank you so much for your generous donation. I really appreciate you investing in my future as a PTA.”
- Lisa Westbrook, Great Falls

“Thank you, thank you, thank you. Without your generosity, I would have had to put these classes on hold. I hope you are able to continue this wonderful program for years to come.”
- Brooke Watt, Great Falls

 

“I have dedicated my professional life to assisting people through the medical field, and I know that is my ‘calling.’ This scholarship will assist me financially toward the achievement of a new occupation. I am looking forward to completing my Physical Therapist Assistant program and moving on to serve and assist many patients.”
- Pam Petrini, Ulm

 “This money will help me finish my undergraduate degree at Carroll College and put me on a quicker, less stressful path to medical school. I have been raised appreciating healthcare and knowing that in order to serve in healthcare you need compassion. This award further confirms that feeling and makes me hopeful that I’ll be a compassionate toward my patients when I am a doctor.”
- Anthony Rosales, Great Falls

For a complete listing of the scholarship awards and awardees, please visit the Healthcare Scholarships page on our website at www.benefisfoundation.org or click HERE.

That’s what happened when the store leaders at Great Falls Scheels were trying to figure out which organization to raise money for in their recent effort to give back to the community.

“We wanted it to stay local, and every sign pointed to helping women with breast cancer,” said Melissa Guzman, assistant store leader at Scheels.

So the store leaders decided that during October – Breast Cancer Awareness Month – they would sell pink and black T-shirts with the breast cancer ribbon on them for $10, with half of the proceeds going to the Benefis Sletten Cancer Institute through Benefis Healthcare Foundation and the other half going toward the cost of the shirts.

In early December, Melissa excitedly delivered a $1,000 check for Sletten to the Foundation.

“We raised nearly $900, and our store leader, Jason Mack, decided we should round it up to $1,000,” she said.

Melissa said they had a hard time keeping the shirts in stock; they had no idea they would be so popular.

“It was so much fun!” she said. “We’re definitely going to do it again next year.”

We are so grateful to Scheels for helping raise awareness about breast cancer and supporting the Sletten Cancer Institute with this fundraiser. And thanks to all of the Scheels fans who bought one of the T-shirts. You all are making an incredible difference for our breast cancer patients!