 Lincoln 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."
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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