Greetings! On behalf of the entire team here in the Office of Philanthropy, I would like to extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to you for your thoughtful nature, desire to help others in need and willingness to give generously through ChristianaCare.
Philanthropy comes in many shapes, sizes and forms – and in this issue we are highlighting just a few examples of the power of your philanthropy at work.
Thank you for making these lifechanging opportunities possible and for making such a positive difference in your community!
With gratitude,
Dia Williams Adams, MPA Vice President of Philanthropy
ChristianaCare Receives
$1 Million Donation from the Rocco A. and Mary Abessinio Foudation
Wilmington Hospital has received a transformational $1,000,000 gift from The Rocco A. and Mary Abessinio Foundation, Inc. to support the hospital’s areas of greatest need including the expansion of patient care initiatives at the Rocco A. Abessinio Family Health Center, which is home to three primary care practices offering high quality health care, wellness and preventive health visits for people of all ages, regardless of their income or ability to pay.
“As a result of the Abessinio family’s longstanding partnership and investment in our mission of service, we are making significant progress in addressing disparities and building strong and healthy communities,”
said LeRoi S. Hicks, MD, MPH, FACP, campus executive director of ChristianaCare’s Wilmington Hospital.
ChristianaCare Forms Workforce Development Partnership with the Gilliam Foundation
Recognizing that heart failure is the leading health care condition affecting more than 30% of the population and disproportionately impacting disadvantaged populations and communities of color, The Gilliam Foundation recently awarded ChristianaCare a $100,000 grant to support an Advanced Heart Failure (AHF) Fellowship, which will allow the health system to recruit and train fellows from diverse backgrounds, improve health outcomes and quality of life for patients with cardiovascular disease, and increase access to local and equitable specialty care for Delawareans. The initiative is being led by Kirk N. Garratt, M.D., MSCAI, FACC, John H. Ammon Chair, Cardiology and Medical Director, Center for Heart and Vascular Health at ChristianaCare. To learn more or to support the AHF Fellowship, please contact us at: 302.327.3305 or philanthropy@christianacare.org.
Maryland Cruzin’ for a Cause
Special thanks to Missy Reynolds and Maryland Cruzin’ for a Cause for hosting the 12th annual car show on May 25th! The event raised $16,000 in addition to the annual car show, Cruzin’ for a Cause raises funds year round to benefit cancer programs at Union Hospital. Next year’s car show will be held on Saturday, May 31, 2025.
Comforting Gift of Love
Judy Powers has a unique history with ChristianaCare. Her mother was a nurse leader who helped establish the Wilmington Hospital Intensive Care Unit (ICU) many years ago.
Delaware Subaru Drives Healthy Outcomes for Newborns at Women’s and Children’s Health
As part of its annual Share the Love® event, Delaware Subaru generously donates $250 from the sale of each new Subaru during the months of November – February to various local nonprofits. For the past 10 years, Delaware Subaru has supported various initiatives at ChristianaCare—from special events and the construction of the new Center for Women’s and Children’s Health to meeting the special needs of families receiving care in the NICU—and this year was no exception.
Several members of the Delaware Subaru’s leadership team, Lee Asher, general manager and Greg Ritter, service director recently visited the Newark Campus to present a generous donation of $9,000 in proceeds from the dealership’s Fall 2023 Share the Love® event, which will continue to support patient care and equipment purchases in the NICU.
It was an effort of love and a family affair—Judy remembers walking through the unit with her mother the night before it opened to ensure everything was in order.
As an adult, long after her mother retired, the ICU again became an essential part of the family. In 2016, Judy was hit by a car. The life-threatening hit-and-run accident left her with a crushed pelvis, collapsed lungs, and shattered sense of security. She was rushed from the accident scene to Wilmington Hospital, where she spent nearly two months recovering in the ICU.
Her recovery was also a family affair: “My mother was by my side the entire time,” Judy recalled. “And my caregivers were so supportive of both of us. They respected her experience and input and cared as much for her as they did me. Love was so evident in the care I received and the support she received.”
Following discharge, Judy spent three months in intensive physical therapy. Determined to walk again, she strictly followed her PT routine, slowly recovering her strength and physical abilities and returning to her regular routine. She was soon back at work.
Then, one day, the trauma of the accident came flooding back when she witnessed a little girl nearly get hit by a semi-trailer truck.
“I was haunted by the idea of a child having to go through what I went through,” she said “My mind went immediately to comfort — what would help a child even a tiny bit in a circumstance like this.”
The answer was teddy bears.
“I told a friend that I wished I could offer a ‘stuffy’ to children who are hospitalized,” she remembered. “He said, well… why don’t you!”
Judy connected with ChristianaCare about donating stuffed bears to the health system for children in care. The idea was a hit, and “Bear Hugs for Healing” was born.
Judy selected and donated the bears, which nurses distribute wherever they see a need. The toys offer a small token of comfort to children and their families during difficult hospital stays or visits.
And she sourced the perfect bears. They’re plush but sturdy, just the right size to hug. Best of all, one of the bears has “love” embroidered on its foot.
“This felt exactly right,” Judy said.
“ChristianaCare puts love into everything it does – so the ‘love bear’ fits right in.”
Golfers Swing Big to Support ChristianaCare
Nearly 200 golfers representing 47 teams hit the links at the DuPont Country Club in Wilmington, Delaware on April 29th for the 33rd annual ChristianaCare Golf Classic. As a result of the generous support from 35 sponsors, including nine new companies, proceeds from the event totaled more than $200,000, which will benefit patient care initiatives.
A special THANK YOU to all of our sponsors and congratulations to the award winners!
PRESENTING SPONSOR
Delle Donne & Associates
ACE SPONSORS Ernst & Young, LLP PATHS
CONDOR SPONSORS
Deloitte Consulting
RCM&D
EAGLE SPONSORS
ChristianaCare – GoHealth Urgent Care Wilmington Trust
PATRON SPONSORS
BIRDIE SPONSORS
BlackRock
Emerus Holdings, Inc.
Grant Thornton LLP Kaufman Hall
PNC Financial Services Group
Securitas Electronic Security
The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company
Wakely Consulting Group
BOGEY SPONSORS
SCC-Soft Computer
RLDatix
VARO HealthCare
LUNCH AND REFRESHMENT
SPONSORS
&
HOLE-IN-ONE SPONSOR AutoTeam Delaware
SPONSORS CUP WINNER: Ernst & Young, LLP
“We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Delaware Subaru for their inspiring philanthropic leadership. As a result of Delaware Subaru’s longstanding partnership and investment in ChristianaCare’s mission, together we are driving health outcomes that ensure babies thrive and can leave the hospital and join their family at home as soon as possible,” said Dia Williams Adams, MPA, vice president of philanthropy at ChristianaCare.
”It is especially meaningful to us to provide support this year. It is critically important to our community’s well-being to have a world class Women’s and Children’s health program. We hope our support of ChristianaCare over the years benefits all our citizens in the region,” said Michael Uffner, president, chairman and CEO at Delaware Subaru and Auto Team Delaware.
From left to right: Greg Ritter, Delaware Subaru service director; Katie Falkowski, advertising liaison, Viamark Advertising; Matthew Hoffman, M.D., MPH, chair of the Department of OB-GYN, ChristianaCare; Lee Asher, Delaware Subaru general manager; Lauri Littleton, DNP, RN-BC, NE-BC, vice president of Patient Care Services, ChristianaCare; David Paul, M.D., chair of the Department of Pediatrics, ChristianaCare; and Dia Williams Adams, MPA, vice president of Philanthropy.
Junior Board Continues Legacy of Giving Back
The members of the Junior Board of ChristianaCare are well-known for the salmon-colored jackets they wear while volunteering in the hospitals and Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute.
But that’s not all they do – last year, the group of nearly 180 members helped donate more than $600,000 to programs that support and advance the mission of ChristianaCare. Funds donated by the Junior Board have benefited nursing scholarships, HomeHealth, the forensic nurse examiners program and the Pediatric Care Center, among others.
In June, the Junior Board celebrated its most recent donation of $85,000 to theChristianaCare Virtual Education and Simulation Training Center. Each year, the Center trains more than 8,000 caregivers in highrisk situations through simulated scenarios.
Through the generosity of the Junior Board and its annual fundraising event, JB Cause, the Virtual Education and Simulation Training Center purchased an ultrasound tool that allows caregivers to learn safe needle insertion using a non-invasive method.
The Virtual Education and Simulation Training Center is purchasing an ultrasound tool to help with IV insertion, thanks to a donation from the Junior Board of ChristianaCare. Junior Board members presented Susan Coffey, M.D., MSMS, CHSE, director of the center, and Brian Levine, M.D., associate chief academic officer and designated institutional official for ChristianaCare, with a check during a recent Junior Board luncheon.
Young Friends Kick-off Event
Members of the incoming 2024-2025 cohort of the Young Friends of ChristianaCare attended the Young Friends kick-off event held at the ChristianaCare Gene Editing Institute on May 29th. Students were welcomed by Eric Kmiec, PhD, Executive Director & Chief Scientific Officer of the ChristianaCare Gene Editing Institute. After learning about the incredible advances in the field of gene editing and its many applications in health care, the students ventured to the Gene Editing Learning Lab, where they had the opportunity to engage in a hands-on CRISPR in a Box experience and network with GEI scientists to learn about the variety of careers within the gene editing field.
“This one tool is going to have a huge impact across our system,” Coffey said. “With this tool, you’re able to put an IV in by actually seeing the vessel that you’re putting the needle into instead of blindly trying to figure that out.” Thank you for being a partner in health and making these projects possible!
The Office of Philanthropy would also like to express its heartfelt thanks to:
The Auxiliary of Union Hospital of Cecil County for their generous contribution of $130,000 to the Behavioral Health Fund at Union Hospital!
The Cecil County Department of Community Services - Division of Community Partnerships for their generous grant award of $9,000, which provides bereavement support groups for school children in Cecil County coping with the loss of a loved one during the 2024 - 2025 academic year...and to Lisa Clewer for facilitating the support groups!
Everett Lacy, a grateful patient, for organizing the first annual Shine a Light on Stroke event held at Glasgow Park on Saturday, May 11, 2024. The event raised more than $40,000, which will directly impact stroke survivors and their caregivers.
Gifts to ChristianaCare from generous donors – like you –enable the health system to respond quickly to unanticipated challenges, pursue innovative technologies and launch new programs as we continue to provide day-to-day services.
If you would like to make a donation in honor of a department or program that is important and inspiring to you, please scan the QR code to visit giving.christianacare.org
4000 Nexus Drive, Suite W3-300
Wilmington, DE 19803
Please Mark Your Calendars
28th Annual Union Hospital Golf Tournament
September 17th at Patriot’s Glen Golf Club giving.christianacare.org/cecil-county-golf-tournament-2024
The Friends of Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute 5k Run/Walk
September 29th at the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute giving.christianacare.org/HFGCC-5K-RUN/WALK2024
34th Annual ChristianaCare Golf Classic April 28th at the DuPont Country Club
We’re Here to Serve You!
Want to share your story and be featured in the next newsletter or support a project near and dear to your heart? Share your philanthropy stories, questions and comments with us. We’d love to hear from you!
