New Donor Wall
February 7, 2011
Building for a healthy future begins with a solid foundation. The most recent accomplishments and the dreams for the future are inextricably linked to those people who had the vision necessary to create such a foundation. Incorporated in 1987 as a separate organization, the Clay County Hospital Foundation is committed in its mission to support the hospital in meeting the health care needs of the community.
Recently, the Clay County Hospital Foundation Board of Trustees decided to invest in a comprehensive donor wall which would honor those who have supported previous campaigns. This legacy of giving is now on display in the entry hallway of the hospital. The names inscribed represent many forms of giving: donors honoring the memory of a loved one; businesses, financial institutions, civic organizations, trusts, individuals and those wishing to remain anonymous.
Ron Bender, CEO said “Recognizing our contributors also shows the tremendous impact donors have made on the long term availability of healthcare to area residents. Because of the commitment from those supporting the Foundation, quality medical care is available close to home."
The desire to create an accurate historic record involved researching the first names for all donors. Marcia Newell, Executive Director for the CCH Foundation, “In the early years, many donations were recorded using “Mr. & Mrs.” rather than using both names. My mother passed away at the age of 62 and my widowed father remarried. My mother’s name would be lost by using only Mr. & Mrs. James Headrick. I wanted grandchildren to be able to look at these boards and find their family names easily.”
Completion of this project would not have been possible without the assistance of foundation board members, long term employees at the hospital and members of the community. Marybeth Morton, Elgena Smith, Cindy Rush, Kendra Schurle and Vicky Wynn were great resources for family names. Cathy Haney and the volunteers at the Clay County Museum were very helpful and Gerry Conrad painstakingly researched archived obituaries from the Clay Center Dispatch for information.
Many rural hospitals are not able to provide services we take for granted in Clay Center. Besides traditional inpatient care, we care for the needs of this community through the Emergency Room, Family Birthing Center, Cardiac Rehab and Surgery Clinic. Medical services include Respiratory, Speech, Physical & Occupational Therapies as well as 12 specialty physicians available through the Outpatient Clinic.
Those interested may peruse the history of the Clay County Hospital Foundation by visiting the website at http://www.ccmcks.org/cchfoundation/history/index.html. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the link to the “newspaper/publication archives”. Newspaper clippings and photos from scrapbooks have been scanned and saved in these files. Anyone wishing to share old articles not recorded are invited to contact Marcia Newell at the hospital.