OUR GOAL
Our goal is to build and sustain free housing that will support patients and their families in North Central Montana.
For many years, there has been a great need in our community for patient housing while receiving outpatient treatment. A patient housing facility has become our top priority.
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EXCITING NEWS
Read inspiring highlights below!
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Raise the roof! This photo was taken January 27th by Brittney Ippel. We are thrilled with the progress on the construction so far, and hope to be finished with our facility in July of 2021.
We will continue to keep you updated on our construction here and our Facebook page.
To view more photos, click the image or click here.
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We have Valentine's Day Flowers! If there's a patient or employee who will be at the Great Falls Clinic this Valentine's Day, consider buying them a bouquet of flowers from our cooler at the Great Falls Clinic Hospital.
If you purchase flowers from our Hospital cooler we will deliver them on campus for FREE!
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Share Your Acts of Love or Kindness |
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February is a month known for its romance, but have you experienced an act of love? An act of love can be completed by a friend or family member to show that they really care about you, sometimes at the expense of the person performing the act. It can be as simple as clearing the supper dishes or someone buying you flowers to brighten your day. We also love hearing about random acts of kindness such as putting away a stranger's grocery cart or sending flowers to an anonymous nursing home resident. No matter what the story is, we want to hear how you have been loved by the people around you or how you are sharing the love!
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Do you wonder what the Legacy Foundation staff has been up to lately? Here are a few of our recent activities:
Picking up trash
(Pictured) The Samantha Shinaberger (Executive Director and Audrey Phillips (Foundation Assistant) joined the Great Falls Clinic staff in picking up trash from around the campus.
We want to give a big thank you to Wayne Gillis (Great Falls Clinic CEO), Haley Denzer (GFC CAO), and Kari Smith (GFC Environment of Care) for picking up, too!
Planning for the building
The Foundation has been working on finalizing the furniture that will go inside of the Foundation. Thank you Dave Cantley, our architect, for helping us pick out color schemes for the new facility!
Grant Applications
Samantha has been working hard to secure more funding for the Harold and Carmen Poulsen Legacy Housing Facility!
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Over the week of January 25th, the Great Falls Clinic Legacy Foundation held a beam signing event in honor of the new facility. Several of the staff and donors joined to sign the beam, which will be in the elevator shaft of the new Legacy Housing facility.
A beam signing ceremony represents the successful completion of a major project by having participants sign a major structural support beam within the facility. This beam will live within the facility with the inscriptions and personal notes of all that made it possible. It will not be visible to the public eye. It is very similar to a time capsule.
Pictured below from left to right: Ed Venetz, Board President, his wife, Karen Venetz and to the far right, Dr. Bob Maynard, one of our major donors.
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TESTIMONIALS
Read real-life stories about patients and families living in our Montana communities and how we can make a difference!
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What Drives Me by Rachelle Murphy |
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My name is Rachelle Murphy and this is my story about how I beat breast cancer more than once. My story with cancer goes back to 1993. About a month prior to my diagnosis, my dad had a biopsy of one of his breasts. It was benign. I was not as lucky.
One day I was applying lotion and I discovered a lump, which prompted me to make an appointment to see my primary, Dr. Jerry Speer. He performed an exam and sent me for a mammogram. Unfortunately, the mammogram did not show the lump due to it being located too high up on my chest. My primary referred me to see Dr. Jake Allen, a surgeon. He gave me the option of having a biopsy performed. He removed the lump and within a few hours, they knew I had breast cancer. I was 39 years old when I received the diagnosis.
Thankfully, I had a strong support system between my loving husband and my two children. I was also armed with a positive attitude and a large support system of friends, family, and church. I was going to get through this.
On December 6, I had a lumpectomy and they removed several lymph nodes. Then I had an appointment with Dr. Grant Harrier to review my plan of care. On January 2, 1994, I began my chemo treatments consisting of an infusion followed by pills for two weeks. They had me in a study program aimed at helping to aid future cases. I lost my hair about two treatments into the chemo. I had always had thick hair, even as a baby, so this was an especially difficult part of the journey for me.
I was fortunate enough to maintain my full-time work schedule at Poulsen’s Lumberyard (owned by Harold and Carmen Poulsen) and they were incredibly accommodating to my treatment schedule and recovery days. Thursdays I had infusion and Friday and Saturday were my recovery days, sometimes Sunday as well. My immune system was exhausted and I had to stop treatments the entire month of April due to my dangerously low white blood cell count, a result of the chemo. I was determined, though. I missed very few days of work and kept my positive attitude going. I know the power of prayer and felt the love that came my way. The prognosis was good, also.
To continue reading Rachelle's inspiring story, click here.
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RECOGNITIONS
Read donor highlights and other important recognition events below!
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Donor of the Month: Tina Rabbitt! |
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My name is Tina Rabbitt and I am fortunate to be a Social Worker at the Great Falls Clinic Cancer Care Center. I am inspired to give to the Legacy Foundation because of our patients and their need for housing and support.
One of the most moving patient situations I have been involved with is George*, a veteran who lives nearly 90 miles away from Great Falls. George served his time in the military during the Vietnam War and spent the rest of his career doing “whatever work he could find.” He is the sweetest most unassuming gentleman you can imagine meeting.
When he was diagnosed, he lived in a very modest home and drove a vehicle at least 20 years old. George also appeared quite frail to me with his long beard, faded jeans and worn coat. George was sure there was no way to get treatment due to the cost of treatment, gas for the trips to Great Falls and eating out. He had thought about staying in his car but it was too cold (the idea of him staying in his car broke my heart). I was able to find a place for George to stay (free of cost!) that got him through treatment and he was thankful. It was such a joy to help George get the treatment he needed!
I get excited when I think about the new Legacy Foundation facility providing a place for patients like George to stay near his doctors and nurses in a warm, comfortable place where he has others who are going through the same thing to talk to. It is so exciting, I get goosebumps!
*Name changed to protect confidentiality
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Check out upcoming events below!
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Is there an event or fundraiser you want the Great Falls Clinic Legacy Foundation to host? Contact Audrey Phillips at (406)216-8057 or at [email protected]. |
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AmazonSmile has donated over $200 million to charities worldwide! You can help increase AmazonSmile donations to Great Falls Clinic Legacy Foundation by shopping at smile.amazon.com/ch/47-4110464 or with AmazonSmile ON in the Amazon Shopping app.
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CAMPAIGN CORNER
Review updates on our current capital campaign efforts to build our patient housing facility here!
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Current Campaign Status Update - 76% Completion! |
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Recently, the Great Falls Clinic Legacy Foundation "Building Hope" Campaign surpassed the $2.59 million mark due to a very generous grant. An unexpected escalation of the design and construction fees from several months ago increased our capital campaign goal to $3.4 million. But with our newest campaign update, we have successfully raised over 76% of the funds needed for this project and will break ground mid-September 2020.
If you are interested in donating or volunteering for the Foundation, we could certainly use your help! Please call 406-216-8057, email [email protected] or click the button below.
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How can you help?
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Ask 5 of your friends to subscribe to this newsletter. Or share this newsletter on your social media!
To find out more information on how you can help, please call 406-216-8057 or email [email protected].
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Here we recognize our donors for each month in the following month's newsletter. Below is a list of donor names that donated to our Foundation last month:
- Brian Allison
- Rhetta Brandt
- Bonnie Bryant
- Kensie Butts
- Amanda and Scott Cunningham
- Margaret Dailey
- Krista Fuhringer
- Leisa Hotaling
- Zoe Irvin
- Patti Jasinski
- Kathy Jenkins
- Vickie Keith
- Melissa Kingsland
- Patsy Kirkhart
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- Liquid Management Partners, LLC
- Danielle Mahn
- Gayle Mauler
- Mary McGivern
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Heather Mullins in memory of Amanda Hagel Kinsey-Breidenbach
- Rachelle Murphy
- Sara Murphy
- Sydney Norby
- Jackson and Audrey Phillips
- Kendra and Dom Puckett
- Meghan Ratliff
- Markie Rohrback
- Kimberly Schwartz
- James and Jill Tanner
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Wyman and Dee Taylor in memory of Jim Jepson
- James and Patricia Vennes
- Paula Walter
- Sheila Yuhas
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Copyright © 2021 Great Falls Clinic Legacy Foundation, All rights reserved.
501(c)3 non-profit organization | 47-4110464
406-771-3107 | www.gfclegacy.org
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