“From one kiddo to another”

A young Benefis nurse came by the Foundation last week with a $160 donation to support the Angel Fund, which helps families who need to travel away from home in order to receive care for their very sick children. She said the gift was in honor of her daughter, Quincy, who recently celebrated her 2nd birthday.

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.

221 Children’s Fund Banquet Coming Up Jan. 20

Bronze Donated to the Sletten Cancer Institute

Having a true appreciation of Western artwork, Bob Sanderson wanted others to share his enjoyment of his beautiful and carefully detailed cowboy bronze.

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.

“The Wise Woman’s Stone”

The final week of 2011 charitable giving through Benefis Health System Foundation is busy and lots of fun. People are so incredibly generous!

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!

 

 

The Generosity of Benefis

At Benefis, we have the good fortune of working with some of the most giving people in the world.

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.

Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Join the Be The Match Registry

Tis’ the season of giving, and tomorrow you have a wonderful opportunity to give a potentially life-saving gift.

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

Spring Healthcare Scholarships Awarded

Benefis Health System Foundation is excited to announce that 19 scholarships have been awarded for the spring 2012 semester through our Healthcare Scholarship Program. The 18 awardees will receive a total of $28,000!

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.