Front Row (L-R): Jane Wyffels, Treasurer; Darcy Hepner, Foundation Manager; Terri Borkgren, Trustee
Back Row (L-R): Dr. Don Ford, Vice-President; Bob Nash, Trustee; Mike Keim, Trustee; Steve Emerson, President; Jeff Lingerfelt, Past CEO
Missing from photo: Terry Sears, Trustee, Jay Wilson, Secretary

 

The end of the fiscal year proved to be a momentous one for the Hammond-Henry Hospital Foundation. When the Foundation established an Endowment Fund, the hope was to provide funds to the hospital once the endowment fund reached $1 million. That time has come. In May, the endowment fund reached over $1 million and the Foundation Board can now implement the plan as intended. The plan is to use the greater of the annual income or 5% of the interest earned each year, not to go below the original principal amount, to benefit the hospital. The Foundation will make that amount payable annually to future hospital projects, for example purchasing new hospital equipment, scholarships or funding hospital renovations. Needs will be presented to the Foundation Board annually. There will be discussion and motions passed to fund the chosen need(s).

Growing the endowment took a lot of effort. In its inception, the Celebrity Dinner raised funds for the endowment. Currently the event has a different goal each year, but 10% of the funds raised at the dinner are invested in the endowment fund. The Foundation Golf Outing operates in the same way. There have been individual donations to the endowment as well.

The Foundation's mission is to assist in meeting the health care needs of the community. Through this new source of endowment funding, the community can look forward to continued support at Hammond-Henry Hospital.