The St. Mary Hospital Foundation raised a total of $2,599,001 in gifts booked and letters of intent in FY 08 surpassing their annual goal of $1,993,867.  The Foundation also received $840,000 in grants during the past year. The employee giving campaign, “Employee Dream Team,” achieved 27% participation among employees and raised $151,853.

A total of 564 new donors gave gifts, an increase of 32% over FY 2007.  A direct mail solicitation using “Sacred Encounters” as the theme has generated gifts totaling $11,618 to date. Some of the generous individuals who supported the St. Mary Hospital Foundation include:

Patron of the Year – Robert Weiser, DDS
Dr. Robert Weiser has been affiliated with St. Mary Medical Center for the past 10 years. He serves on numerous hospital committees, such as the Foundation Finance Committee and President’s Cabinet. He is active in the community as a charter member of the Youth Accountability Board and a member of the Apple Valley Rotary Club, where he previously served as president. He also served on the Apple Valley Town Planning Commission in the late 1990s.

Dr. Weiser accepted the position of Board Chair of the Foundation Board of Directors from 2006 to 2008 because he wanted to share his experience in leadership and to encourage others in the High Desert to become involved with the Medical Center. 

Dr. Weiser recently made a generous gift of $100,000 to St. Mary Hospital Foundation toward a central cardiac monitoring system for the Emergency Department at St. Mary Medical Center. Community support is extremely important to the Medical Center to help it acquire state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment tools.   Top

Dr. Kwon Presents Retirement Gift to St. Mary
Y. Joe Kwon, MD recently retired after 45 years in medicine. He served the Victor Valley area and for nearly 30 of those years as a St. Mary radiation oncologist.

In June 2008, Dr. Kwon made an unrestricted gift of $50,000 to the St. Mary Hospital Foundation.

Throughout his years of service, Dr. Kwon organized a joint cancer program between St. Mary and other hospitals. He was instrumental in planning the annual High Desert Cancer Conference that brought speakers from various medical schools and facilities to the area.  He also served the hospital on many boards and committees. Dr. Kwon was active in the medical community serving on the San Bernardino County Medical Society Board of Directors, the California Medical Association Commission and the American Cancer Society of the Inland Empire.    Top

Sarah and Leor Lakritz Help St. Mary Grow
Sarah and Leor Lakritz have made a noteworthy impact on the growth and development of St. Mary Medical Center through giving of their time and resources. They recently made the single largest gift the St. Mary Hospital Foundation has ever received to be used for the expansion of St. Mary Medical Center.

In addition to making significant gifts to the Foundation, Sarah is active on the Foundation Board of Directors and the Development Committee. Her first experience with St. Mary Hospital Foundation was when she attended the 2005 Auction.

Through their benevolence, the Lakritzes have demonstrated their support for the mission, vision and values of St. Mary Medical Center.    Top

Stories:
Patron of the Year
Dr. Kwon
Sarah & Leor Lakritz

Dr. Weiser recently made a generous gift of $100,000 to St. Mary Hospital Foundation toward a central cardiac monitoring system for the Emergency Department at St. Mary Medical Center.

After his recent retirement, Dr. Kwon made an unrestricted gift of $50,000 to the St. Mary Hospital Foundation.

Sarah and Leor Lakritz recently made the single largest gift the St. Mary Hospital Foundation has ever received to be used for the expansion of St. Mary Medical Center.