Carle Health Center for Philanthropy is proud to announce the successful completion of VISION 2020, a vital $35 million campaign to improve healthcare for the nearly 1.5 million people living within the Carle service region. Launched Jan. 1, 2014 and ending Dec. 31, 2020, the campaign raised $36,953,414 for initiatives designed to transform healthcare through innovative medicine and compassionate care.
“We’re so grateful to the countless donors who continue to support the world-class healthcare provided at Carle,” Beth Katsinas, vice president of Carle Health Center for Philanthropy, said. “Their generosity helped us fuel research, expand opportunities, enable community outreach, enhance patient experiences, deliver extraordinary care, and further the education of our team members.”
The campaign’s lead gift from Rick and Jeanene Stephens, VISION 2020 campaign co-chairs and community leaders, established the Stephens Family Clinical Research Institute at Carle. Overall, donors invested more than $9.4 million to advance research at Carle. In 2020, Carle was represented in over 120 peer-reviewed journals, proceedings or scientific textbooks – a four-fold annual increase in just five years.
“Individuals and families in the region and around the world will benefit from the breakthroughs and therapeutics that transform the way doctors diagnose and treat illness,” Jennifer Eardley, PhD, vice president for research at Carle Health, said.
VISION 2020 donors also expanded local job opportunities for individuals in our community through the Job Readiness and Learning Program at Carle, providing a path to employment for those with work histories that might traditionally preclude them from recruitment. In addition, donations to VISION 2020 provided more than $2 million to enable outreach through Community Health Initiatives including Healthy Beginnings, the Carle Mobile Health Clinic and the Robbins Specialty Asthma Clinic.
Carle and Health Alliance physicians and team members also supported the VISION 2020 campaign throughout its seven-year duration. Employee giving helped deliver extraordinary care and enhance patient experiences by funding a pediatric transport vehicle, sensory-friendly spaces for patients with autism and Will’s Garden, a rooftop healing garden at Carle Foundation Hospital.
Most recently, donations to VISION 2020 supported Carle’s COVID-19 preparedness, containment and response efforts and provided disaster relief to help team members financially impacted by the pandemic. Gifts also funded tuition assistance to Carle nurses pursing a bachelor’s degree in nursing.
Generous gifts from thousands of donors also provided more than $1.8 million for the Carle Cancer Institute, home of Mills Breast Cancer Institute, $1.6 million for Greenberg Digestive Health Institute, and $4.3 million for women’s and children’s services at Carle.
“Every moment connected with each of these initiatives was made possible by the generous support of our donors,” Katsinas said. “We’re so grateful and look forward to sharing more about the impact of these gifts in the coming months.”
Categories: Culture of Quality, Redefining Healthcare
Tags: giving, innovation, medicine, philanthropy