Saturday, December 19, 2009
 
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'Preserve the Mission' campaign celebrates generous donors

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[December 19, 2009]  Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital celebrated another milestone in the construction of its replacement hospital with the dedication of a cornerstone and the beginning of the public phase of the "Preserve the Mission" capital campaign.

HardwareLincoln community leaders Bill Bates and John Guzzardo serve as campaign co-chairs.

Preserve the Mission has raised $4.17 million, or 76 percent of its $5.5 million goal. Funds received will ensure that Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital has access to the equipment and facilities needed to provide quality health care to the next generation.

Prominent early gifts include estate bequests from two local families.

Through her will, Joan Jarrett Woods provided a gift in excess of $2 million to the Abraham Lincoln Healthcare Foundation. "This extraordinary gift has been dedicated to the Preserve the Mission campaign," said co-chair Bill Bates, who was also a longtime friend of Joan Jarrett Woods and a law partner with her husband, Robert Woods.

"Mr. and Mrs. Woods were tremendous supporters of Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital during their lives, and that support has been continued through very generous gifts through their wills."

Mr. Woods served for many years on the ALMH board of directors, and Mrs. Woods was a lifetime member of the ALMH Auxiliary. Their legacy will be remembered through the Woods Center for Emergency Medicine at the new hospital.

Schoolteachers John Ryman and Helen Ryman also remembered the hospital through their testamentary documents. Mr. Ryman died in 2007 and Mrs. Ryman in 1994. Their gifts total in excess of $365,000, all of which has been committed to the Preserve the Mission campaign. ALMH is honoring their legacy of lifetime support by naming the cardiac rehab area for the Rymans.

Local residents Safford and Betty Peacock have continued their local philanthropy through the sponsorship of a warm water therapy pool within the hospital's rehabilitation center. According to Bates, "the gift represents Betty Peacock's interest in a high-quality pool for those who benefit from the warm water to manage arthritis pain and to rehabilitate from injury."

Gifts from ALMH employees, board members, local physicians and the ALMH Auxiliary have all contributed to the campaign's early success.

ALMH employees have pledged or given more than $182,000 to the Preserve the Mission campaign. Employee giving campaign chairwoman and 31-year ALMH employee Jeannette Savery applauded the employees for their dedication. "Many of my co-workers pledged an hour of their pay from every paycheck over three years," she said. "Others contributed as much as they could during these challenging economic times. Everyone is very excited about moving into the new hospital and wants to be a part of the campaign."

Many local physicians have given generously to the campaign, acknowledging the importance of a modern hospital to help provide quality health care, with the newest medical technologies, to their patients.

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The ALMH Auxiliary has pledged $25,000 to the project, which is possible only through loyal community support of the Pink Shutter Thrift Shop and the "In the Pink" Gift Shoppe at the hospital.

Several local financial institutions and other local businesses have already made significant pledges to the Preserve the Mission campaign, said Steve Aughenbaugh, president of the State Bank of Lincoln and chairman of the ALMH board of directors.

Bates and Guzzardo have reported that thus far there are eight "lead gift" donors with gifts or pledges exceeding $100,000. They further report that there are 13 donors in the "Major Gift" category, which includes gifts between $25,000 and $100,000; 32 donors in the "Special Gift" category, consisting of pledges and gifts from $5,000 to $25,000; and more than 500 donors in the "Community Gift" category, which are gifts up to $5,000.

"We are humbled by the community's generosity in response to our request for campaign support," said Guzzardo. "We ask that every member of the community served by ALMH take part in this campaign in some way, no matter how large or small their donation may be."

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The campaign will accept gifts of cash, securities, insurance policies, real estate, personal property, grain or an item that can be converted into cash. Donors are asked to consider a three-year pledge with annual, semiannual, quarterly or monthly payments so that they can maximize their campaign gift and perhaps even secure a naming opportunity.

A number of naming opportunities inside the hospital start at the $10,000 gift level. In the coming months, the community can also reserve recognition through the sponsorship of benches, trees, brick pavers and other landscaping items.

Gifts to the campaign may be made by contacting Marty Ahrends, executive director of community development at ALMH, at 217-732-5048; co-chair John Guzzardo at 732-9757 or co-chair Bill Bates at 735-1234.

More information about the replacement hospital project and the Preserve the Mission campaign is available at www.almh.org.

[Text from file received from Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital]

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