| FRANCISCAN HEALTH SYSTEM
Advanced Medicine,
Trusted Care
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 | | Jon Flora, President |
Happy Holidays!
The most joyous time of year is upon us when we have a chance to give special thanks and reflect on what is most important to us.
In 1897, the now famous editorial "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus," was written in response to a little girl who was having serious doubts about the guy in the red suit. The author was a former war correspondent who had seen the pain of the Civil War balanced by the intrinsic good of people. The piece is an American classic and, because I'd love to have Santa's job someday, is one of my favorites! I have included a link for your reflection: http://www.newseum.org/yesvirginia/
Certainly the last year has presented monumental challenges to our society. Virtually all of us know or are related to someone who has lost a job or had their world turned upside down in some way. This has been a time of pain and skepticism. Yet, the generosity of people toward helping others has been quite remarkable. In the following stories, you will see multiple examples of commitment, devotion, and that basic human instinct to help others in need.
A few years before "Yes, Virginia..." was written, the Sisters of St. Francis brought their healing ministry to Tacoma to serve the spiritual, emotional and physical needs of a gritty young community. Today, 120 years later, more than 8,000 physicians, nurses and staff continue the work of the Sisters and their commitment to serving all who need care.
As you prepare to celebrate the birth of our Lord, I hope you will pause from the hustle and bustle of the holidays to think about those in your circle who need help this year. Consider what it's like to be walking in their shoes. Then, reach out and lend a hand.
For the 8,000 members of our Franciscan Family, I wish you a blessed Christmas and joyous New Year. Thank you for your support of our work.
Sincerely,
Jon FloraPresident |
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Do your last minute shopping online and benefit the Franciscan Foundation!
Purchase your gifts or gift cards on Amazon.com through our website and a portion of your  purchases will benefit the Franciscan Foundation.
It's simple. Visit our website and click on the Amazon.com logo located on the right side of the page. When you start your Amazon.com visit by entering via our website, you get the same great selection and prices, and Amazon.com will automatically donate a portion of your purchases to the Franciscan Foundation. There's no cost to you. Just use the link located on our website or click on the Amazon logo below and they will handle the rest.
If you already have an Amazon account, just access it through our website so they know to credit the Franciscan Foundation.
Every month all year long, the Foundation receives anywhere from $100 to $1,000 (depending on the month) to help support the greatest needs throughout our system. The more that is purchased, the more we receive. So, if you're an online shopper, this is an easy way to support our mission. As the holidays approach, remember to think Franciscan First.
We thank you for your continued support. Feel free to forward this shopping link to your family and friends: http://www.fhshealth.org/Ways_Give.aspx?id=3422&menu_id=322 |
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Franciscan Hospice and Palliative Care Receives National Recognition
Franciscan Hospice and Palliative Care has been awarded the prestigious 2010 Achievement Citation from Catholic Health Association for excellence, effectiveness and innovation in hospice and palliative care. The award came with a $10,000 grant to support comprehensive hospice and palliative care services. You can view a wonderful video about the end-of-life care we provide, created by the Catholic Health Association, click here.
"People die in all different ways," Director, Mark Rake-Marona said. "We adjust our services and make them available to meet patients at whatever stage they are. If we do it right, we'll find out what they need, we'll listen a lot more than we'll talk and then figure out how what we do matches what they need."
This is the second major award this year for Franciscan Hospice and Palliative Care. In May, Medical Director Dr. Mimi Pattison received the inaugural Sojourns Award and a $50,000 grant from The Regence Foundation in recognition of her leadership and advancement of palliative medicine. |
Franciscan Foundation awards 31 scholarships to Franciscan employees
 | | Jamie Burks, Fransican employee, receives her scholarship award from Jon Flora, Franciscan Foundation President |
The Franciscan Foundation recently awarded scholarships to 31 Franciscan Health System employees who are pursuing undergraduate or graduate degrees in health care and other career-related subjects. The scholarships totaled $59,050. Since 1996, the Foundation has awarded more than 280 scholarships to Franciscan employees, totaling $432,900.
"The entire Franciscan organization strives to be the best at what we do," said Foundation President Jon Flora. "We achieve this by hiring outstanding people with a commitment to serving our mission. The Foundation's growing scholarship program enables us to help our employees continually improve their skills so that our patients receive the best possible care. We're grateful to our generous donors whose thoughtful gifts make these educational awards possible."
Congratulations to this year's scholarship recipients!
All scholarships are funded through charitable gifts to the Foundation from Franciscan staff, grateful Franciscan patients and their families, and other friends of Franciscan Health System. If you would like to donate to these scholarships, please contact Jon Calder at the Franciscan Foundation, at (253) 428-8415 or joncalder@fhshealth.org. |
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Thank You Sellen Construction!!
For more than two decades, Sellen Construction has been an integral part of Franciscan's growth. On-going projects at existing hospitals and construction of new facilities have all relied on the quality work of the people of Sellen.
The Franciscan Foundation would like to thank the company for their continued generosity to Franciscan. Since 1988, Sellen Construction has donated over $1,000,000 to the Franciscan Foundation. Their recent gift of $500,000 benefited St. Anthony Hospital (Gig Harbor), St. Elizabeth Hospital (Enumclaw), St. Joseph Medical Center (Tacoma) and St. Clare Hospital (Lakewood).
As lead contributors to the Campaign for St. Anthony Hospital and the Campaign for Enumclaw's St. Elizabeth Hospital, Sellen Constructionhas helped Franciscan Health System bring outstanding medical care close to home to residents of the Peninsula and Enumclaw Plateau communities.
We truly appreciate Sellen's partnership in supporting our mission to create healthier communities. |
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Thank You Gig Harbor Quilt Festival!!
Thank you to the Gig Harbor Quilt Festival (www.gigharborquiltfestival.org) for a $3,000 gift to the Franciscan Low-Income Mammogram Fund, from the proceeds of their annual festival in October.
Their gift will fund breast cancer screening for medically underserved minority women served by our Breast Cancer Navigator Program, and may save a life if early stage breast cancer is detected. |
Fabulous Fundraisers support Franciscan Health System
The Franciscan Foundation's meaningful events with, in several cases, record-setting attendance, raised over one million dollars in 2010! Thank you to the generous community members, businesses and partners who volunteered, sponsored and donated to make these events so successful. Funds raised at the following events are helping Franciscan facilities and programs provide top quality care to our patients.
St. Anthony Hospital Auxiliary, Waterside Brunch at Anthony's Restaurant - February 2010
LiteGait Device to assist physical therapy patients to regain strength in walking
St. Francis Gala - May 2010
Interventional Procedure Suite Addition
Franciscan Hospice Golf Tournament - May 2010
Comfort Therapies for end-of-life patients
Brett Erickson "Play with Heart" Golf Tournament - May 2010
Diagnostic Equipment for the Brett Erickson Cardiovascular Suite at St. Anthony Hospital
St. Clare Hospital Golf Tournament - August 2010
Two Life-saving Aquapheresis Machines for heart failure patients
Spectrum Golf Tournament - September 2010
Bladder Scanner, electronic scales, and DVD players for Oncology patient rooms
St. Francis Hospital Golf Tournament - September 2010
Imaging Services
St. Joseph Medical Center Ball - November 2010
Renovation and Expansion of the Critical Care Unit
For information on tickets, sponsorships or donating auction items to these exciting events in 2011, please call Shelley Harris, Special Events Director at the Franciscan Foundation, at (253) 428-8407. |
Franciscan Shoes
For the last decade, the Foundation has been fortunate to be in a position to give a portion of its unrestricted investment income back to the communities that have been so supportive of us. Although that income has been significantly reduced in the last two years, our commitment to walking in the shoes of others has not wavered.
This year, we are pleased to have awarded grants to the following organizations in support of their service to neighbors in need:
- Campaign for Sisters of St. Francis
- Communities in Schools - Federal Way, Lakewood, Peninsula, Tacoma
- Emergency Food Network
- Goodwill
- Greater MetroParks Foundation - Zena Linik Park
- Healthcare Week
- New Phoebe House
- Pierce County Housing Authority
- Renton Technical College
- Tacoma Pierce County Chaplaincy
- University of Washington Tacoma Nursing Scholarships
- Young Life Military Family Camp
- YWCA
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"It would have been impossible without the help of hospice"
Xochi Hughes Madera lives in Gig Harbor with her husband Frank. She is a prolific artist. (To see some of Xochi's beautiful artwork, visit her on Facebook, rtist.com/xochi or call her at (253) 377-1642).
In 1995, Xochi's father was diagnosed with liver cancer, and Xochi left Gig Harbor to care for him in California. She says, "It was so hard as an only child caring for my dying father and being so far away from home and my husband. It would have been impossible without the help of hospice."
When she returned to Gig Harbor, she volunteered for Franciscan Palliative Care Outreach. "This bridge between diagnosis and hospice is so important because it helps people who might otherwise fall through the cracks." Xochi continued to volunteer for Franciscan Hospice and Palliative Care until she herself was diagnosed with cancer in 1999. She is very grateful to be a cancer survivor for 11 years now.
Because of her positive experiences with hospice, Xochi has made a legacy gift to Franciscan Hospice and Palliative Care. This gift will support comfort therapies, respite care, bereavement services, and Palliative Care Outreach. She says, "Because of the hospice help I received while taking care of my father and the years of being a volunteer, I know what a big impact Franciscan Hospice and Palliative Care has to families, caregivers, and the community."
Please contact Jon Calder at the Franciscan Foundation if you would like information or help with planning a bequest or gift to Franciscan Health System - (253) 428-8415, or joncalder@fhshealth.org. |
 St. Anthony Hospital Auxiliary BrunchSaturday, February 5, 2011
Anthony's Restaurant, 11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Franciscan Hospice Luncheon Friday, March 18, 2011 Hotel Murano, Venice Ballroom, 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
St. Francis Hospital Gala Saturday, April 30, 2011 Hotel Murano, 6:00 p.m. - 12:30 a.m.
For information on tickets, sponsorships or donating auction items to these exciting events, please call:
Shelley Harris at 253-428-8407 or email.
Molly Ashton at 253-552-4168 or email. Darci Bernard at 253-428-8409 or email.
Ellen Dooley at 253-428-8457 or email. |
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| Get Involved |
| Franciscan Foundation is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt corporation recognized under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code. The Foundation receives and administers gifts made on behalf of all Franciscan Health System hospitals, services and programs.
100% of your contribution to the Franciscan Foundation is tax deductible and goes directly to the Franciscan Health System facility or program to which it is designated. |
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