BUILDING ON MOMENTUM

PROLIFIC PHILANTHROPISTS SUPPORT RESEARCH, TRANSFORMATIONAL INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

Whether supporting research breakthroughs or building a pipeline to train the next generation of skilled workers, Elaine and Marvy Finger continue to marshal their resources to strengthen Houston. For more than a decade, the couple has supported visionary research at Houston Methodist. They direct much of their philanthropy in support of Dr. Dale Hamilton, who created the Center for Bioenergetics in 2013 and has held the Elaine and Marvy A. Finger Distinguished Chair for Translational Research in Metabolic Disorders since 2014. “Dr. Hamilton was my physician, and he became my friend,” says Marvy Finger. “It was natural for us to support his endeavors. Along with Dr. Hamilton’s intellectual ability, his enthusiasm and dedication are contagious. It’s exciting.” They recently established two research funds in the Center for Bioenergetics: the Elaine and Marvy Finger Unparalleled Research Endowment and the Elaine and Marvy Finger Unparalleled Research Fund. The Fingers’ gift to the Elaine and Marvy Finger Unparalleled Research Endowment was doubled due to a 1:1 match from an anonymous donor through the Inspire Fund Challenge. Inside the Center for Bioenergetics, Dr. Hamilton and his team focus on the mysteries of bioenergetics and the role energy transfer plays in everything from aging and heart failure to diabetes and other metabolic disorders to neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. They coordinate their research with scientists around the world, leading to a melting pot of ideas working toward a common goal — all with the help of the Marvy Finger Family Foundation. The Center for Bioenergetics was a natural evolution for Dr. Hamilton, who has studied ways to identify mechanisms of energy transduction in altered states since 2006. He cites Elaine and Marvy Finger as integral to the center’s growth and success. “Support from the Marvy Finger Family Foundation and Elaine and Marvy Finger has facilitated my transition into pursuing translational research and developing the Center for Bioenergetics, which provides a platform for interdisciplinary research to address prevalent health challenges,” says Dr. Hamilton. “Now, with additional support, the opportunity for growth into new dimensions has become possible. I am proud and thankful for the ongoing interest and support for this unique transition.”

Elaine and Marvy Finger support Dr. Dale Hamilton’s visionary research.

THE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM allows the young scholars to see they can be successful in careers they truly enjoy.

In collaboration with Marvy and Elaine, Houston Methodist also established the Marvy Finger Family Internship Program at Houston Methodist, which provides local community college students with an opportunity to supplement their learning through paid summer internships. The scholars receive $6,000 stipends, thanks to gifts from many generous benefactors. The program began in 2021 with four Finger Scholars who completed 10-week internships focused on research. “Every one of them talked about how memorable it was to be in that atmosphere,” says Elaine Finger, adding that some interns say Houston Methodist is the “crème de la crème” of hospitals. “They all felt like they were someone — that they were special. That was the most meaningful aspect of the whole internship for them.” The scholars are part of the Marvy Finger Family Foundation, which Elaine and Marvy Finger established in 2013 to provide students the means to pursue two-year vocational or technical degrees that can quickly lead to higher-paying jobs, including health care careers, without the anchor of student debt. “The driving idea of the Marvy Finger Family Foundation is to break the cycle of poverty in Houston and help young people have a chance to earn a living wage,” Marvy Finger says. “That makes the fabric of our city stronger.” The new crop of Finger Scholars this summer will choose interest areas that more closely align with some studies they experience at Houston Community College, San Jacinto College or Lone Star College. Mentors will come from the machine shop; heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC); construction; and human resources — in addition to research. “Health care offers so many career pathways,” says Amy Wright, director of Educational Partnerships for the Houston Methodist Academic Institute. “Elaine and Marvy Finger want the young scholars to see they can be successful in a career they truly enjoy and make a difference in people’s lives.” For the Fingers, their goal is simple: help students secure a job after they complete the program. “This opportunity helps their experience and looks good on their résumé by saying they’ve worked at Houston Methodist,” says Elaine Finger. “That’s one of the best employers in Houston.”

FINGER’S DAD MODELED HOW TO TAKE CARE OF THOSE IN NEED

When Marvy Finger was young, his father ran a small general merchandise store in one of the poorest counties in East Texas, and Marvy clearly remembers how his dad cared for his employees. “When he had extra funds, dad was doing something that would help his workers,” he says. His dad’s altruism inspired Marvy to give back — first as an employee for a home builder, then as the founder and owner of The Finger Companies since 1958. Along with his wife Elaine, Marvy established the Marvy Finger Family Foundation in 2013. In its first year, the foundation’s scholarship program distributed eight scholarships. That number grew to 102 in 2022, awarded to Houston Independent School District graduating seniors. Since 2013, the Marvy Finger Family Foundation has provided 462 scholarships, which offer full tuition, fees and needed tools, such as books, a laptop, food and more. The scholarships are designed to help students with financial need pursue their careers and technical educations in a two-year program. The foundation provides full scholarships to deserving students who want to gain knowledge and skills for high-paying, fast-growing careers, such as health care. “Our foundation helps young people in need, changes the future of families who might otherwise have been stuck in a cycle of poverty and supports transformational research,” Finger says. “Establishing this foundation has been the most rewarding experience of my life.”