the spirit, winter 2011

Barbara J. and William B. Thalhimer Jr. passed on a very deep-seated sense of service to the community, said Darcy Oman, president of The Community Foundation (TCF), which received the Thalhimer’s home by charitable bequest to benefit TCF and four nonprofits, including Bon Secours.

giving makes good happen.

W I N T E R 2 0 1 1

BON SECOURS RICHMOND HEALTH CARE FOUNDATION Good Help to Those in Need®

THE SPIRITFrom the Bon Secours Richmond Health Care Foundation

www.bsvaf.org

Philanthropic Support Helps Hospice Patients Live Life to Fullest

Dr. George Trivette’s (left) and Kyle Woolfolk’s personal experiences inspirethem to help Bon Secours Hospice.

give hospice care,” said Woolfolk, whose first wife died of breast cancer at age 42. “The program’s very close to my heart. Hospice meant I could spend the last days of my wife’s life focused on her — not worrying about how I was going to care for her medical needs.”

Woolfolk, a Foundation board member, is helping raise money for and making a generous commitment to help build Richmond’s first Community Hospice House.

While we often deliver hospice care in patients’ homes, for many in our community, staying at home is simply not possible.

“It’s a win-win for the whole Richmond community,” said Dr. George Trivette, whose practice, Radiation Oncology Associates, has made a significant commitment to help build the facility.

Trivette deeply values hospice nurses and volunteers not only for their care of his

Hospice care is about living. That’s a mantra of Bon Secours Hospice Director of Operations Madelyn Williams.

“It is about quality of life,” said Williams, whose program cares for 130 to 150 patients at any given time.

Richmond-area developer Kyle Woolfolk knows firsthand the importance of this care.

“I have the ultimate respect for those who

Thalhimer Generosity Supports Hospice Program

cancer patients and their families, but also because he, like Woolfolk, lost his first wife to breast cancer.

“This house will serve patients from all area hospitals, and it is going to fill a huge need,” said Trivette. “I encourage other physicians to support this initiative.”

Philanthropy makes a difference in the Hospice program’s ability to care for patients, said Williams.

“From artists, musicians and pet therapists who share their talents with our patients to significant financial gifts, community support helps our families and patients live their days to the fullest.”

To learn more, visit www.bsvaf.org/hospicehouse.

Barbara J. and William B. Thalhimer Jr. gave generously to Richmond organizations throughout their lives.

That generosity continues to serve Bon Secours’ Hospice Program. Proceeds from the sale of their home went to fivenonprofits, including hospice.

“My mom and dad had a very special relationship with St. Mary’s,” said their son, Bill Thalhimer, III.

The senior Thalhimer served on both the St. Mary’s Board and the Foundation Board.

“The Sisters of Bon Secours bring unparalleled, compassionate care to our community, and my parents wanted to be a part of that early on,” said the younger Thalhimer, who continues the family tradition of serving on the Foundation’s Board.

“Hospice meant I could spend the last days of my wife’s life focused on her ...”-Kyle Woolfolk, Foundation Board

The new house will replace the cottages and double their

capacity. It will face Libbie Avenue and be built on property

St. Mary’s Hospital already owns.

“There are always more people who need the service than

we have the ability to take care of,” said Jerry Katz, Volunteer

Auxiliary president. “So, we are delighted to help create this new

facility.”

“As Bon Secours Virginia’s medical programs grow, we are able

to reach patients from a far wider geographic area. Many of these

advanced therapies require extended stays for the families as well

as the patients. The Guest House Program may provide the only

way these families can stay, support and nurture their loved one

during their treatment,” said Dr. Gary R. Zeevi, medical director

for the Advanced Heart Failure Center and the honorary co-chair

of the Guest House fundraising initiative.

THE SPIRIT

Good Help to Those in Need®THE SPIRIT 2

Patients often do much better when they are surrounded

by their family and loved ones. Thus, for many years, the St.

Mary’s Volunteer Auxiliary has operated four guest cottages to

help meet the needs of patients and their families, who need

overnight accommodations – a “home away from home.”

Thanks to generosity of a local foundation, The Reinhart

Foundation (see sidebar), who provided the lead gift for the

project, and the St. Mary’s Volunteer Auxiliary, who pledged

$300,000, a fundraising initiative is now under way to create a

new Guest House for St. Mary’s.

St. Mary’s Guest House Campaign Chair Nancy

Plageman (seated) and her husband, David, with donors

Carter C. and Beverly Chinnis.

In 1997, with the help of St. Mary’s gallant engineering staff,

the St. Mary’s Volunteer Auxiliary set forth to create havens

of comfort and peace by transforming four small houses

on St. Mary’s campus into “Guest Cottages” to meet the

needs of families of hospital patients, requiring overnight

accommodations.

Named for the donors who provided the funding for

the renovations, the Heltzer House; the Korn House; the

Pawson House and the Volunteers’ House have provided

the cornerstone for this St. Mary’s Ministry of Hospitality.

Our Ministry of Hospitality: A Home Away from Home for Patients’ Families

“Patients do so much better when they know that their families

are taken care of,” said Nancy Plageman, a volunteer and

member of the Bon Secours Richmond Foundation Board,

who is co-chair of the fundraising endeavor with Carmella

Bladergroen, also a member of the Foundation Board.

Donors, such as Beverly and Carter C. Chinnis, value St. Mary’s

Hospital’s 45 years of service to the community, and have donated

generously to the Guest House campaign. “To live is to give, and

we are grateful that we can support the hospital’s plan for a Guest

House. It will offer families a comforting sense of unity at a time of

distress. We are hopeful that others will join us,” said Mrs. Chinnis.

The goal is to raise $2.3 million; to date the

committee has raised more than $1.1 million.

To make a donation or for more

information about supporting the new

St. Mary’s Guest House, contact Jennifer

Goins, senior development officer,

[email protected], 804-281-8589

or visit www.bsvaf.org/guesthouse.

This is a rendering of The

st. Mary’s guesT house.

When finished, The nearly

11,000-square-fOot hOuse Will

feaTure 12-14 guest rOoms, a

library and business cenTer,

a reflection rOoM/chapel,

large kiTchens and large

cenTralized gathering rOoms.

W I N T E R 2 0 1 1


Members of the Reinhart family. From left to right, Christopher

Reinhart Richards, Cynthia Reinhart Richards, William (Bill) and M. H.

(Bud) Reinhart.

A caring nurse’s good help lives on through her family’s

gift to the St. Mary’s Guest House.

“This was an opportunity for us to help the hospital and

the community and to honor my wonderful mother,

who loved nursing and her work at St. Mary’s Hospital,”

said Bill Reinhart of his family’s gift to the Guest House

through The Reinhart Foundation.

His mother, Evelyn D. Reinhart, who graduated from

Barnes Hospital in St. Louis as a U.S. Army Nurse, began

volunteering at St. Mary’s Hospital when her children

grew older.

She loved her work at St. Mary’s so much that she went

through a rigorous process to re-certify her nursing

credentials when she was in her 50s after a long

hiatus from hospital work. Although Evelyn has since

passed, her deep love of nursing, work at St. Mary’s and

compassion for others lives on in her family’s memories.

GOAL $2.3 MILLION

RAISED $1.1 MILLION

Reinhart Gift Remembersa Mother’s Compassion

Celebrating the Spirit of GivingAs we draw near to the end of 2011, we celebrate the di� erence you have made by giving to make good happen. With your generosity, we’ve provided 50 years of teaching nursing excellence at the Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing, served thousands of families through the Care-A-Van mobile health clinics and our pediatric hospice program Noah’s Children, given 45 years of good help at St. Mary’s Hospital, o� ered compassion and assistance through the Cullather Brain Tumor Quality of Life Center, and so much more.

Our volunteers give tirelessly of their time and resources and help build for tomorrow through projects such as the healing garden at Memorial Regional Medical Center, the patient support fund at St. Francis and the St. Mary’s Hospital Guest House. You’ve given life-changing medical assistance to the poorest children in our hemisphere in Haiti and elevated health care for those living right next door.

We thank you, our donors, for your spirit of giving. We look forward to seeing how the investments you’ve made in 2011 will continue to grow in 2012 — and beyond!

Giving ForeverMany Bon Secours volunteers join our Volunteers Forever program by creating bequests in their wills. Here, Sr. Tess Horvath celebrates with Volunteer Forever Payson Jones. Jones.

Loving Our Littlest Ones

St. Mary’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit RN

Amy Harris cuddles a former patient at a

September reunion.

Nursing, served thousands of families through the Care-A-Van mobile health clinics and our pediatric hospice program Nursing, served thousands of families through the Care-A-Van mobile health clinics and our pediatric hospice program

Celebrating 50 Years of Nursing ExcellenceBon Secours Memorial College of Nursing instructor Gloria Booker (center) enjoys the college’s 50-year anniversary gala in October. She was honored for 40 years of service.

Making Room for Miracles

“My nurses, the doctors —

I couldn’t have received

better care anywhere.

They love you, and they

take care of you,” said

Marrian Mills who spent

two months in Memorial

Regional Medical Center,

receiving treatment for

Burkitt’s lymphoma. Here

with her husband, Lionel,

Mrs. Mills’ cancer is now in

remission.

two months in Memorial two months in Memorial

Regional Medical Center,

receiving treatment for

Burkitt’s lymphoma. Here

with her husband, Lionel,

Mrs. Mills’ cancer is now in

remission.

Tapping into the Power of NatureEmployees and community members attend a June blessing of the Healing and Community Garden at Memorial Regional Medical Center.

Investing in Our CommunitiesBon Secours Virginia’s commitment to help revitalize the neighborhoods surrounding Richmond Community Hospital continues.

Extending Compassion Beyond Our WallsWe sometimes help pay for prescriptions or medical equipment so our most vulnerable patients can go home to a safe and healing environment. Members of the St. Francis Care Fund Committee, pictured here, raise money to help patients in need at the time of discharge.

Season’s Greetings WINTER 2011

THE SPIRIT |4 THE SPIRIT |5Good Help to Those in Need® Good Help to Those in Need®

There are lots of reasons to play in our Foundation’s Charity Golf Tournament. But most important, playing directly supports our Care-A-Van mobile health clinics. This year’s tournament raised more than $100,000 for the program. Every day, our Care-A-Vans roll into neighborhoods to provide urgent, primary and preventative care where and when our most vulnerable patients need it most. Our community has nurtured and supported the Care-A-Vans since the maiden voyage of the first van in 1994. Today, three vans can serve 200 patients in one day.

“We are proud to support the Bon Secours Foundation. Our firm has been privileged to represent Bon Secours, and we remain committed to the Bon Secours mission,” said Greer Jackson, spokesperson for Spinella, Owings & Shaia, this year’s presenting sponsor.

As long-time hospital and Foundation volunteer Charlie Morrison surmised, “The money we raise goes to the Care-A-Vans, but the tournament also tells people in the community that something good is going on at Bon Secours.”

THE SPIRIT


Donated TVs Benefit Emergency Room PatientsAn Emergency Room visit can generate stress and anxiety.

A welcome distraction can make all the difference.

That’s why the donation of 13 flat-screen

TVs to Richmond Community Hospital

Emergency Department has made such a

difference. Marilyn West, Chair and CEO

of M. H. West & Co. Inc. and member of

the hospital’s Community Advisory Board,

gave the TVs after the hospital made the

request to the Bon Secours Richmond

Health Care Foundation.

“M. H. West & Co. Inc. supports Richmond

Community because of its focus on quality

and patient satisfaction,” said West.

The TVs make a big difference.

“This may seem like a simple thing – a TV in the room – but

it makes our patients feel taken care of,” explained Dr. Stacy

Williams, medical director, Emergency Department. “Even

though we are an efficient department, patients spend time

waiting for documentation to be processed, and the TVs

provide a welcome distraction for them.”

Bon Secours seeks to offer the best care and treatment

possible at each of its facilities across the city. This builds trust

between the doctors and nurses and the

patients.

Richmond Community Hospital’s

Emergency Department has 13 beds. Its

physicians and staff serve 2,800 patients

per bed annually.

“We want to show we care and want to

make them better. We want them to know

they are special,” said Williams.

The TVs provide entertainment while

patients wait to see their doctor and while

waiting for discharge.

“We truly care about each patient that

comes through these doors,” Williams said. “Keeping them

calm and happy allows us the opportunity to let them feel that

caring and for us to take the time to talk to them about their

health.”

Golf Tournament Sustains Care-A-Van

15,000Number of patient visits to

Bon Secours Care-A-Vans last year.

Tom Flood, general manager of Lexus of Richmond, explained, “I’m a Catholic and consider it my personal mission to support those who are providing good help to those in need.”

This year marked the tournament’s 20-year anniversary. We thank all the golfers who have played in the last two decades.

To help or sponsor next year’s event on Sept. 24, 2012, contact Peggy Wilson at 804-287-7309 or [email protected].

Pictured left to right: Vernard Henleyand Marilyn West, members of the hospital’s Community Advisory Board, Dr. Stacy Williams serves as medical director of the Emergency Department.

“From the patients we serve, to the programs we offer, to our hospital locations, diversity is a part of Bon Secours,” said Rigsby. “So many people lack good health care and Bon Secours is stepping out into the community to help them in so many ways.”

An attorney at the law firm Williams Mullen, Rigsby’s background also includes service as senior vice president and deputy general counsel for SunTrust Banks Inc. Virginia Lawyers Weekly recognized her as a Leader in the Law earlier this year.

“I continue to learn so much through the Foundation,” said Rigsby. “I have been introduced to thinking about all manners of health care because Bon Secours is involved in so much.”

Learn more at www.bsvaf.org/richmondfdl.

Board of DirectorsThe Bon Secours Richmond Health Care

Foundation owes much gratitude and

thanks to our Board of Directors. Below is

a list of our current board members who

donate their time and resources, which

contribute to our success.

Toni R. Ardabell

Jenna J. Atwood

Kathleen Burke Barrett

Peter J. Bernard

Carmella Maurizi Bladergroen

William C. Boinest, Chairman

Peter W. Brown, M.D.

Diana F. Cantor

Barry J. Case

Dennis A. Diersen

Virginia G. DiStanislao

Susan Y. Dorsey

John W. Fain

Andrew C. Foldenauer

May H. Fox

Kirsti A. Goodwin

Vernard W. Henley

Dougal G. Hewitt

Charles M. Jones III, M.D.

Sr. Charlotte Lange, O.S.B.

J. Stephen Lindsey

C. Gregory Lockhart, M.D.

Sr. Anne Marie Mack, C.B.S.

John J. Muldowney

William T. Patrick, Jr.

Nancy A. Plageman

Malcolm M. Randolph

Corbin K. Rankin

J. Sargeant Reynolds, Jr.

Linda F. Rigsby

William H. Schwarzschild III

Sr. Victoria V. Segura, M.D., C.B.S.

John N. Simpson, Sr.

Thomas W. Sokol

William B. Thalhimer III

Paul M. Thompson

James S. Watkinson

D. Kyle Woolfolk, Jr.

Bon Secours’ compassion is a source of pride for Foundation Board Member Linda Rigsby.

“We talk about bringing good help to those in need, but the employees really feel it from the heart,” said Rigsby, who has been a St. Mary’s Hospital patient.

That is one reason she is chairing this year’s Fleur-de-Lis Society, which is for donors who commit to giving $1,000 annually.

“Every dollar we raise helps the staff better serve the community,” said Rigsby.

By making an investment of $1,000 in any increment over a year’s time, Fleur-de-Lis members help improve the health of our community. Through her involvement, Rigsby said she’s come to appreciate Bon Secours’ rich diversity.

Fleur-de-Lis Society — Investing in Compassion, Diversity, Excellence

W I N T E R 2 0 1 1


“We serve people of all different

faiths and some who are shaky in

their faith. But faith at

Bon Secours is always steady,

always quiet and always there.”

- Linda Rigsby, Fleur~de~Lis Society Chair

A benefit for Noah’s ChildrenCentral Virginia’s only Pediatric Hospice

and Palliative Care Program

Special Guest and Keynote Speaker Jenna Bush HagerAuthor, Contributing Correspondent, NBC’s Today

and Chair, UNICEF’s Next Generation

Gala to feature music, heavy hors d’oeuvres and wine pairingsSilent and live auction of children’s artwork

For more information, please contactPeggy Wilson, Bon Secours Richmond Foundation

804-287-7309 or [email protected] us online at www.fortyoneevent.org

The Westin Hotel7 - 11 p.m.

At Bon Secours, our Spirit of Giving is not just about treating illness. It is about seeing the whole person and addressing his or her needs. It is about keeping our community healthy and strong.

We are thankful for you, our donors, as partners in this ministry. In this issue of our newsletter, we hope you’ll enjoy seeing some of the ways your giving is making good happen.

Thank you for giving good help to those in need. Merry Christmas and Happy, Healthy New Year!

Sincerely,

Sister Anne Marie Mack, C.B.S.

Senior Vice President for Sponsorship, Foundation Sister President

In this issue of our newsletter, we reflect on the Spirit of Giving. Since the Sisters of Bon Secours began their ministry in 1824 in Paris, philanthropy has always played a vital role.

This Spirit of Giving continues as all of us — the physicians, nurses, staff, members of the

community and volunteers— work together to bring good help to those in need.

We give to bring health and healing through our hospitals and community programs. We give so parents may be comforted through their children’s illness and so a family may have a few precious last days with a grandfather. We give so every patient receives excellent care — from our newborns to our centenarians.

Your Spirit of Giving

THE SPIRIT W I N T E R 2 0 1 1

BON SECOURS RICHMOND HEALTH CARE FOUNDATION

5875 Bremo Road, Suite 305

Richmond, Virginia 23226

(804) 287-7700 • www.bsvaf.org

Good Help to Those in Need®

BON SECOURS RICHMOND HEALTH CARE FOUNDATION Good Help to Those in Need®

NON-PROFITORGANIZATION

U.S.Postage PAID

RICHMOND, VAPERMIT #729

the spirit, winter 2011

Documents

hospice care

hospice programcancer

community hospice house

bon secours hospice

hospice nurses

hospice patients live

richmond community

hospice programs ability