The Schneck Foundation received more than $366,000 in gifts in 2019.
There were three new Schneck Society member pledges, which is those who commit to give at least $10,000 over a 10-year period. The total pledges are 92.
There also were 14 new Healthbuilder members, who are individuals and families giving $100 to $999 annually, bringing the total to 52; 53 Business Honor Roll members, who are businesses pledging $1,500 to more than $25,000; and 243 first-time donors.
The numbers show how much community and business support the foundation receives in all of its efforts, said Kathy Covert, vice president of workforce and support services at Schneck Medical Center in Seymour.
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She recently gave the 2019 year-end report for the foundation during a hospital board of trustees meeting. The foundation’s executive director and board chairperson normally give the report, but the meeting was conducted via teleconference because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The hospital’s employees also give to the foundation through the employee giving program EPiC. In 2019, there was an 82% overall participation rate and more than $110,000 given through payroll deduction. The hospital’s leadership had 100% participation, and physician participation was at 90.5%.
"Just to give you some comparison, overall in the country when you look at health care philanthropy, the employee giving programs average between 25 and 35% participation in the organization … so definitely proud of the commitment that our staff and our physicians give to the foundation," Covert said.
In 2019, the foundation hosted 36 events that drew more than 3,700 attendees, she said.
In the fourth quarter, Executive Director Rexanne Ude retired and Stephanie Flinn was hired to fill that role. She joined staff members Deb Kuntz, Natalie Harpe and Ashley MacTavish to help coordinate events and other outreach with the foundation’s committees.
"They all represent us very well," Covert said. "Stephanie Flinn has been a wonderful addition as the executive director. She definitely brought some fresh ideas. She’s a strategic thinker, and she has very quickly acclimated to the Schneck culture and really holds the same values of the organization and with the team around her is really doing great things."
The staff changed the hospital newsletter distribution and went from a publication that was mailed twice a year to a monthly electronic version. Anyone wanting to receive the newsletter can enter an email address online at schneckmed.org.
They also worked with the marketing department to develop a more robust social media strategy with Foundation Fridays bimonthly posts, giving followers facts about the foundation.
Also online, a virtual donor wall is now live at schneckfoundation.org under the "Our Donors" tab and clicking on the different types of donors to see the lists.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the foundation staff also rolled out the Not Every Hero Wears a Cape Initiative. Funding was used to buy food from local businesses to provide lunches to local first responders on a weekly basis, and the EPiC program provided bottomless snack baskets to every department in the Seymour hospital.
"It was really at the height of the COVID pandemic, really a way to recognize our staff and the situation that they were facing here with so many unknowns related to COVID," Covert said. "We had tremendous community support. We had business support. It was just very much a morale booster for our staff here with all of the outreach."
Rick Smith, president of the hospital board, said the foundation has been very visible during the pandemic.
"Sometimes, we always think of foundations as fundraisers, and they are, but they stepped up to the plate," he said. "They delivered a message on what they wanted to do for employees and the community in regards to food and resources."
He also praised the employee giving.
"It’s encouraging to see EPiC remaining at a 82% contribution level, so a big thank you to the staff of the foundation," he said.
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The Schneck Foundation is at 415 S. Walnut St., Suite 201, Seymour.
For information, call 812-524-4244 or visit schneckfoundation.org.
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