As I complete my term as Foundation Chairman it is
amazing to think it has been almost three years since I agreed to serve.
I had just completed my term as Chairman of the Winter
Haven Hospital Board when I was approached by organizational CEO Lance
Anastasio who inquired if I would be willing to work with he and newly
appointed Foundation Executive Joel Thomas to seat a new Board of Trustees
and create a plan to begin serious fund raising for not-for-profit
Mid-Florida Medical Services/Winter Haven Hospital.
Having been involved through the years with quite a few
fund raising initiatives, I have gained enough experience to know which
organizations will ultimately be successful in their philanthropic efforts.
Based on this knowledge I agreed to serve.
I agreed to serve for several reasons; The first reason
is my belief that if your going to be in the business of asking people to
invest in an organization and its mission, that organization must be
relevant and meaningful to a specific community.
In short, the organization must provide a clear benefit
to people; men, women and children. It’s especially helpful if the
organization you are going to raise funds for serves people 24 hours a day,
365 days a year right where they live, work, grow up, raise families and
retire.
No one can disagree that Winter Haven Hospital and its
women and childrens’ facility the Regency Medical Center clearly is
worthy of support. Thus my first reason for serving.
As the largest provider of health care services and the
largest private employer in the region this 75 year old vital community
asset will eventually touch the lives of every individual and business in
this area.
My second reason for agreeing to serve was based on my
belief that to be successful in high performance fund raising you have to
have the ability to engage and surround the initiative with quality
volunteer leaders and highly skilled management. These leaders or
Trustees, as they are known, are very special people; as we say in fund
raising they are individuals who must be willing to invest their personal
time, their talent and their treasure.
Trustees must also believe so strongly in the
importance of the organization, and its mission to serve people that they
are willing to personally ask others to invest in the organization as well.
I’m proud to report the Board of Trustees we
seated, have more than justified my second reason for serving. They have
embraced their responsibilities with passion and vigor.
The following are several high points of what this
great team in conjuction with you, our Foundation friends, have been able
to accomplish up to this point: The Foundation’s Fall Gala over the
past two years has raised approximately $500,000 and launched our
permanently endowed Health Care Scholarship Fund.
The fund is for Polk students interested in becoming
healthcare professionals and wishing to start their careers at Winter Haven
Hospital.
The fund has so far provided numerous scholarships and
thousands of dollars in funding to Polk Community College, Ridge Vo-Tech
and Traviss Vocational Center.
The Foundation’s newly established Annual Fund
Campaign which seeks unrestricted funds for the most current needs of
Winter Haven Hospital raised over $130,000 in its first year for the
purchase of critically needed patient care, safety and security equipment.
A major leadership gift to the Annual Fund was
generously provided by the Winter Haven Hospital Auxiliary and for this we
are deeply thankful.
Our Planned Giving Program was successfully launched
this past year as well with the seating of an outstanding Professional
Advisor Council comprised of this areas leading Attorney’s, Certified
Public Accountants and Financial Planners. These individuals, working
with our Trustees, have been successful in communicating to those we serve
that there is a direct connection between effective estate planning and
philanthropy. Through their efforts the Foundation received its first major
leadership planned gifts this year.
Currently, Foundation Trustees and Colorado Boxed Beef
Company Executives, Steve, Bryan and John Saterbo are working on plans to
affiliate the firms Dick Saterbo Memorial Invitation Golf Tournament with
the Foundation. All proceeds from this great event will go to benefit the
Foundation’s efforts to improve local healthcare.
I am proud of what we have accomplished to date and I
am profoundly confident in the abilities of our incoming Chairman, Richard
Straughn, as well as our growing Board of Trustees, cadre of professional
advisors, and the Foundation’s management team. These are the
individuals charged with building on the foundation we have laid. I
expect great things to come.
Last but not least, I am proud of each of one of you,
and want to thank you, our Foundation friends: individuals, small and large
businesses, civic and governmental organizations. Each of you have
generously and tirelessly worked with us to help improve our local quality
of life. My thanks to each and every one of you. Stay with us, the
best is yet to come.
In closing, I leave you with this quote from Winston
Churchill – “We make a living by what we get: we make a life by
what we give”.
