Siskin Hospital - Our Jan/Feb Newsletter to Your Inbox

SPIRIT is a Siskin Hospital e-newsletter for friends, supporters and patients

New Beginnings

For as long as we can remember, 12:01 A.M. on January 1st has brought excitement because it represents a new year and a “do over” - a new beginning. At

Siskin Hospital, we experience new beginnings each day as individuals who have suffered traumatic illness or trauma begin working with one of the top rehabilitation teams in the U.S. Rather than face life in a wholly diminished capacity, our patients begin to speak and move again. Some regain their strength, while others return home stronger than they’ve been in many years.

I think of Jeff who came to us with a spinal cord injury and unable to walk. Following his care at Siskin Hospital, Jeff walked out of the hospital!

And I think of Huey who, after getting hit by a car, was in a coma for three weeks. Huey came to us after a month in Erlanger unable to walk, stand or move his arms. Within two weeks at Siskin Hospital, he was able to push himself up to stand and walk with assistance. His goal now is to return to rafting.

These are two of many stories we get to share – stories of new beginnings and new possibilities.

The great news is that you aren’t sidelined in this! When you support our critical

initiatives, you are very involved in creating new beginnings for our patients. Will you consider partnering with us in one or more of the following?

 Support the Healing Gardens at Siskin Hospital

Last October, we broke ground on Grady’s Garden, the largest of the five Healing Gardens. The research on these is clear – patients who spend time in a therapeutic garden feel better and actually get better faster. Will you help us get to the finish line on our capital campaign to build all five gardens?

 Give Regularly to the Scholarship Fund

If you read our missional objectives, you see that it is our desire that everyone will receive the rehabilitative care they need. In fact, we spent over $600,000 last year in charity care. Some are uninsured and others have already exhausted their means by the time they reach us. Your consistent gifts to our Scholarship Fund each month make a way for more individuals who cannot afford their care.

 Support Our Possibilities Luncheon

Each year, we hold a luncheon to celebrate new beginnings and raise funds for our Scholarship Fund. To quote a very good friend of the hospital, “This is the best event in town.” Will you plan to attend?

 Support Our Golf Classic

This year will mark the 34th year of this premier golf event that raises funds for our Scholarship Fund. If you’ve participated in the past, we’d love to see you again on October 1st. If you haven’t supported this event, you won’t want to miss it this year!

For information on all of these partnership opportunities, use our gift form or contact our Philanthropy office.

Welcome 2024! We’re excited for all the new beginnings!

We hope you’ll join us for the Possibilities Luncheon this year.

This event is always moving and it celebrates all the new beginnings for individuals who have suffered traumatic injury or illness – like our daughter. We look forward to sharing this story of “possibilities” with you during the event.

In addition, proceeds benefit the hospital’s Scholarship Fund which makes a way for individuals who cannot afford the physical rehabilitation care they so desperately need.

As if that wasn’t enough, we are excited about our keynote speaker – Gretchen Evans. Command Sergeant Major Gretchen Evans is one of the most decorated female veterans in U.S. History. She was a successful senior military intelligence analyst and paratrooper, operating in several high-tempo and dangerous missions around the world including Grenada, Kosovo, Bosnia, Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. In 2006, while working as a sergeant major in Afghanistan, a mortar blast threw her into a concrete bunker wall. She suffered a traumatic brain injury and lost 95% of her hearing, ending her career in military service.

Gretchen received the Bronze Star for valor and heroism in combat and was awarded the 2022 Pat Tillman Award for Service at ESPN’s ESPY awards.

On March 13th, you’ll be riveted as Gretchen shares her experiences and nuggets of wisdom.

Will you join us in March? Even better – will you sponsor this event by purchasing a table for you and seven friends or family members? They will thank you and you’ll know the proceeds will provide access to one of the best physical rehabilitation teams in the nation – offering so many possibilities!

To reserve your seat, table, or your sponsorship, visit Possibilities.SiskinRehab.org.

Jay & Cynthia Dale

2024 Co-Chairs

Forever Connected

The legacy of the Siskin brothers continues to impact the lives of our patients every single day with a special significance for one patient in particular: William Farmer. William has been a

beneficiary of the generosity of Mose and Garrison Siskin for most of his life. As a deaf child, he attended outpatient therapy at Siskin Early Learning Center

(now, Siskin Children’s Institute) where he received speech therapy services. These services enabled him to enter public schools for the first time.

The photos of William in therapy, along with the story of the Siskin brothers, were featured in The Post in November of 1960. Now, over 60 years later, William finds himself once again featured in a

story with the Siskin family. In August 2023, he was admitted to Siskin Hospital after undergoing open-heart surgery. Even today, his love for the Siskin brothers and their legacy remains unchanged. His face still lights up when he talks about how much their legacy has meant to him.

We are grateful to carry on the legacy of Mose and Garrison in the lives of our patients and their families every day. These stories live on in the hearts of those whose lives are forever changed. Moreover, we are thankful for William, his story and his confidence in Siskin Hospital.

Having an actual car in the therapy gym helps prepare patients to return to home.

When patients graduate and are ready to go home, one of the first challenges they

may face is getting into and out of a car. We are grateful to Volkswagen for their

donation of the car that sits in one of our therapy gyms. It allows patients to

practice getting in and out of a car safely, under the watchful eye of their therapist.

A Legacy of Values

A recent Gallup poll revealed that only 46% of Americans have a will that describes how they would like their money and estate to be handled after their death. And, among those who do have a will, less than 3% include a charitable gift, even though they have given charitably throughout their adulthood.

As you know, the best way for individuals to ensure the largest gift to their heirs and the charities they love is to plan for it. Your estate plan does more than transfer

assets. It is the single greatest financial impact you will have on your family and your favorite causes, including Siskin Hospital. By including both in your plan, you

protect the future of your family and create a legacy that reflects your values.

If you haven’t planned for charitable giving through your estate, doing so this year may make sense. The planning process begins with a conversation about your values

and goals, and includes, “Which charities do we want to provide for?”

NEXT STEPS

1. Contact the Siskin Donor Relations office at 423.634.1208 to make your intentions known. The hospital associate will never ask the amount you are leaving to Siskin Hospital but will share information on how you can make the greatest impact from your estate.

2. Seek the advice of your financial or legal advisor. Siskin Hospital has a network of trusted attorneys, trust administrators and wealth managers, should you need help getting started.

3. If you include Siskin Hospital in your plans, please use our legal name, Siskin Hospital for Physical Rehabilitation Inc., and our federal tax ID, #62-1220402.

SISKIN HOSPITAL LEGACY CIRCLE

What legacy will you leave for future generations? When you make a plan to leave

an estate gift to Siskin Hospital for Physical Rehabilitation, your gift ensures compassionate care for years to come.

As a recognition of your intent, we would like to include you in Siskin Hospital’s Legacy Circle. The Legacy Circle preserves the ideals of Mose and Garrison Siskin.

We welcome gifts of any amount for the Siskin Hospital Legacy Circle. To join this inspiring membership, will you let us know about your intent by completing the revocable gift form located on our website?

Over and over, Siskin Hospital for Physical Rehabilitation is recognized nationally for superior patient outcomes. The hospital is dedicated exclusively to physical rehabilitation and offers specialized treatment programs in brain injury, amputation, stroke, spinal cord injury, orthopedics, and major multiple trauma, as well as treatment for neurological disorders and loss of muscle strength and control following illness or surgery. Siskin Hospital is the only freestanding, not-for-profit rehabilitation hospital in Tennessee. In addition to inpatient acute and subacute care, the hospital has five outpatient clinics in Tennessee and Georgia. For more information, visit siskinrehab.org or call 423 634-1200.

One Siskin Plaza Chattanooga, TN 37403

www.siskinrehab.org