The 2018 CalvertHealth Foundation Fire & Ice Gala, Igniting the Difference, was a huge success thanks to the extraordinary support from the corporate, community and individual sponsors that helped raise nearly $775,000 toward largest expansion in CalvertHealth's almost 100-year history. Special thanks goes to Presenting Sponsors Curtis Investment Group, MedStar Shah Medical Group and Rod ‘N’ Reel Resort in addition to an anonymous donor whose $250,000 donation that evening helped push CalvertHealth beyond its $3 million fundraising goal in its Building on a Century of Care capital campaign - which was announced at the November gala.
“We are so grateful by the overwhelming support toward this project. This has been an extraordinary effort and we are humbled by the generosity of our community. Our patients and families drive every decision we make at the medical center, and I am thankful for everyone who has made a monumental difference in our ability to provide the best possible care for our community,” said President and CEO Dean Teague. He continued, “Every dollar counts in our mission to impact the community.”
The path to the Foundation’s $3-million campaign success was paved with humble beginnings. In 2016, Samantha Walling, then age 10, kicked off the Building on a Century of Care Campaign with the gift of a single dollar. It was recorded as the first gift to the organization’s largest-ever campaign.
“Every dollar makes a difference,” says Lynette Entzian, Chair of the CalvertHealth Foundation. Entzian has played an integral role in the campaign’s fundraising efforts stating that a family member’s experience left an indelible impression on her about the urgency of this project. “I knew private rooms were important, but the magnitude didn’t hit me until I experienced it firsthand with my own loved one. My husband and I are proud to support this project, with our time and a financial commitment.”
At the gala and in one of the evening’s more emotional moments, three community members shared their stories about why privacy matters in a heartfelt video. At the conclusion of the video, Teague was standing on stage with his mother, Sue, who was featured in the video. Emcee Don Parsons noted that Mr. Teague was not on stage as the President and CEO of CalvertHealth - but as a son. Of his mother’s recent stay in the medical center, Teague shared, “When I visited my mom, I was so grateful to see the wonderful care she was getting. I was also grateful to see that every patient -- across the hall, next door to my mom – everyone was getting the exact same level of care. We treat every patient as if they were a member of our own family.”
Foundation Board members Lisa Garner and Cindy Parlett co-chaired this year’s event. Parlett said, “So many of us have been impacted by CalvertHealth Medical Center – we have been patients, we have been visitors, we have been volunteers or employees. Sharing a common thread, we are all advocates for quality health care.”
CalvertHealth’s Building on a Century of Care Capital Campaign will culminate in 2019 when the hospital celebrates its 100th anniversary. The campaign is helping to raise funds for the largest project in the history of the hospital. The three-story expansion project will house spacious, modernized private patient rooms, outpatient services, as well as areas for medical and support staff. This project will feature all private patient rooms on Level 2 and Level 3 of the medical center. The $51 million expansion will allow CalvertHealth to provide the community with a new standard of care. Since it began 30 years ago, the annual black-tie charity event is one of the most successful fundraisers for the hospital and has helped fund new medical technology, equipment and initiatives at CalvertHealth Medical Center.
The CalvertHealth Foundation wants to extend a special thank you to some of the sponsors who helped make the evening a success: Curtis Investment Group; Medstar Shah Medical Group; Rod 'N' Reel Resort; Associates In Radiation Medicine; Mamma Lucia - Mr. Sal & Mrs. Maria Lubrano; Plan B Technologies; Mr. Steve & Mrs. Sunny Keithley; American Radiology Services & American Radiology Associates; CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield; Dickinson Jewelers; Hargrove, Inc.; Mr. Dean & Mrs. Pam Teague; Power Solutions, LLC; Dr. Mahesh P. Shah; Wilson & Parlett; Emergency Medicine Associates; Bank of America Merrill Lynch; BuiltRite Home Developers; CNL & Holladay Properties; Exelon Generation; Garner Exteriors; Hall, Render, Killian, Heath & Lyman; HITT Contracting; Johns Hopkins; Locust Lane Farms; M&T Bank; Merrill Lynch; Mr. Joseph & Mrs. Diana Doswell; Ms. Marianne Harms; Twin Beaches Cosmetic Dentistry & Gentle Family Dentistry; Wilmot Sanz Architects; Windstream Enterprise; Adfinitas Health; Armstrong, Donohue, Ceppos, Vaughan and Rhoades; Baker Ober Health Law; Baldwin Law Group, LLP; Calvert Dermatology & Skin Cancer Center; Community Bank of the Chesapeake; Dr. Loyd & Mrs. Terri Wolfley; Idea Solutions; Leach Wallace Associates; MedStar Health; Mrs. Dixie Miller & Mr. Jim Ritter; Old Line Construction, Inc.; CMI General Contractors; The Columbia Bank and Pathway Investment Group.
