Class of ’18
Baptist Health Foundation Welcomes Class of 2018 Giving Society Members
Baptist Health Foundation welcomed a new class of Giving Society members October 25 by honoring their generosity and commitment to the South Florida community. The elegant invitation-only dinner was held at the Coral Gables Country Club.
The Giving Society is Baptist Health Foundation’s prestigious donor recognition program composed of donors whose contributions or pledges to support Baptist Health are $60,000 or more. Members include philanthropists, grateful patients, physicians and community leaders. This year, 121 new Founder families were inducted into the Giving Society, bringing total active membership to almost 1,400 families.
“The culture of philanthropy is truly alive and well at Baptist Health, and is certainly evident among all of you in this room,” said Brian E. Keeley, President and CEO of Baptist Health. “We are deeply grateful for your generosity.”
Mr. Keeley continued to explain how philanthropy allows Baptist Health to maintain its “margin of excellence,” filling the gap between what the organization can do and what it aspires to do.
“One area where this is especially true, and where philanthropy can have a profound impact, is clinical research,” said Mr. Keeley. “Clinical research is at the heart of all medical advances, giving our patients access to advanced technologies and allowing us to learn how to improve care.”
Clinical trials offer hope, facilitating the availability of promising new drugs and therapies, and can result in significant benefits to patients. Unfortunately, there are no insurance reimbursements for research, and the funding from National Institutes of Health and other government sources continues to shrink.
This is why the generous gifts of Giving Society members are so crucial to the advancement of healthcare in South Florida. The philanthropic investment of Giving Society members will save lives now, and also help better predict and prevent disease in the future.
The annual Giving Society dinner was sponsored in part by Intercontinental Real Estate Corporation.
For more information about the Giving Society, contact 786-467-5400. To support the work of Baptist Health Foundation visit BaptistHealth.net/Foundation.
