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More Than $200,000 Raised for Rehab Endowment
The Benefis Healthcare Foundation Board of Directors and staff are pleased to announce that more than $200,000 was raised for the Acute Rehabilitation Unit Endowment through Mayfaire, held last weekend in Great Falls.
The Foundation’s annual fundraiser was an enormous success, and a lot of money was raised for this year’s beneficiary – the Benefis Rehabilitation Unit – including the $200,000 raised solely for the endowment.
This was the first year the Foundation opted to raise endowment money for the Mayfaire beneficiary as well as money for the department itself. The endowment will ensure that the Benefis Rehabilitation Unit will have funds to help patients and continually improve services long into the future. This year’s Mayfaire sponsors and guests were incredibly generous, and the Foundation board and staff and the Rehabilitation team are sincerely grateful.
Mayfaire was scheduled for May 7 & 8. Though the May 7th golf tournament had to be postponed because of inclement weather, the Saturday night gala was a smash hit.
More than 700 guests plus 100 volunteers attended the gala, which was held at the Mansfield Convention Center. The evening included live and silent auctions – featuring fabulous trips, tickets to sports events, theme dinners, fly fishing excursions, kite surfing lessons, photography, artwork and lots more – all donated to support Rehab. After enjoying a delicious sit-down prime rib dinner, all of the Mayfaire guests had a great time dancing the night away to the 1970s and 1980s Australian rockers Little River Band, known for popular hits such as “Lonesome Loser,” “Lady,” “Cool Change,” and “Reminiscing.”
As mentioned, the Foundation selected the Benefis Rehabilitation Unit to be this year’s recipient of Mayfaire’s proceeds. Commonly referred to as “Rehab,” the unit is where patients who have suffered a temporary or permanent disability due to injury or illness learn how to live again.
Common injuries or illnesses suffered by Rehab patients include: strokes; spinal cord injuries; amputations; major multiple traumas; motor vehicle accidents; hip fractures; brain injuries; polyarthritis; burns; cancer; debility due to cardiac or pulmonary problems; and neurological disorders, such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and Guillain-Barre syndrome.
The Rehab Unit consists of 67 team members led by Rehab Medical Director Dr. Jim Hinde. The team is made up of specialized physicians, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, respiratory therapists, a therapeutic recreation specialist, a rehabilitation counselor, a dietitian, a medical director, a psychologist and animal-enhanced therapy volunteers.
Recovery is dependant upon teamwork, a safe and spacious environment, patient and family education, and dedication. Rehab is about helping patients to regain function through daily interaction, therapeutic intervention and education by therapists and nurses. In some cases, high-tech devices, such as mobility and self-care aids, are used to help patients get back to moving and doing.
The Rehab Unit just underwent a major remodel that is now helping the Rehab team better serve the 300-400 patients they treat annually. Though the unit has improved immensely, the team still needs to implement more changes and upgrades and purchase more equipment so Benefis patients can get the state-of-the-art care they deserve. Specifically needed are more lifts, updating the Occupational Therapy Kitchen, and the creation of an outdoor, therapeutic walking garden. That’s where the Mayfaire proceeds will help immensely.
A good portion of Mayfaire’s proceeds are raised through the golf tournament, which was rescheduled for May 28 at the Meadow Lark Country Club. The Foundation won’t have the total dollars raised until after the golf tournament. At that time, the Foundation will issue another press release and provide more information about how Rehab plans to use the money, for things such as the Occupational Therapy Kitchen upgrade, the creation of the Outdoor Therapy Garden and the advanced technology.
Benefis Healthcare Foundation provides services to people throughout Northcentral Montana. The Foundation is managed by a volunteer board of directors and supports a diverse list of programs, including Benefis Sletten Cancer Institute, the Angel Fund, the Healthcare Scholarship Program, Gift of Life Family Housing Centers and Benefis Peace Hospice of Montana. The Foundation is able to provide financial support to so many wonderful programs thanks to the support of so many generous donors, such as all those who supported Rehab through Mayfaire.
For more information, contact Judy Held, President of Benefis Healthcare Foundation, at 455-5841 or Kelly Michel, Director of Annual Giving, at 455-5842.
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