Schneck Foundation

The Schneck Foundation was founded in 1953 to encourage, hold, and administer gifts to the hospital. The vision of the Foundation is to expand opportunity for donations and to expand and consistently re-evaluate the programs and use of the funds in support of the hospital. The members of the board are dedicated to this activity and to being goodwill ambassadors to the people in the communities served by the hospital. The Foundation was originally formed to help finance the hospital’s 1957 addition with contributions from the community.

Over 120 volunteers make up the Board of Trustees and 6 committees. The committees are broken out into giving groups. They include the $10K + group, Planned Gifts, Annual Support at $100+, Business Relations, Community Relations and the EPiC Club, which is comprised of employee donors.

Each year the Foundation hosts a holiday reception for the donors and volunteers, regardless of their donation level or volunteerism task. Prior to their relationship with ChemArt, the group had given out Christmas CDs. They were looking for something unique that would have special meaning to this group of people, which would represent the Medical Center and the Foundation, as well as serve as a memento of their hard work and spirit of giving.

The appeal of an annual ornament program was two-fold. By creating this program, they would be able to focus the content on special buildings, construction, and anniversaries and events within the Medical Center’s community, and create an ongoing program that didn’t have to be rethought or planned each year.

Cora Laymon, Administrative Assistant for the Foundation is quite pleased with the program. “There is no need to wrap the gifts and they can easily be mailed or hand-delivered to the people who are unable to attend the reception.”

Laymon has a wall in the office that is decorated with shadow boxes containing each of the ornaments that have been done in the program. “This is a great conversation starter when people ask how they can obtain one of these pieces.”

The annual series has been used in conjunction with Schneck’s milestones throughout the collection. The year the Cancer Center was built, the ornament reflected the pride and passion that went into the project. In 2009, the ornament and holiday reception was combined with a physician’s recognition. And 2011 marks the 100th anniversary of the hospital. “We have great plans for something momentous for the occasion,” explains Laymon. “What is so wonderful about the ornaments is that it levels the playing field for both donors and volunteers. It ultimately isn’t about how much they give or help out the Foundation, but rather their commitment to the Foundation and what it stands for.”

 Click here to download a PDF of the Schneck Foundation Customer Success Story