Ozarks Healthcare Foundation offers Variety of Ways to Support Health Needs of Community this Giving Tuesday
On Tuesday, Nov. 30, a worldwide celebration generosity known as Giving Tuesday will be recognized. Giving Tuesday is an opportunity for people around the world to come together through generosity in all its forms by sharing acts of kindness and giving their voice, time, money, goods, and advocacy to support communities and causes. Ozarks Healthcare’s Foundation is one of several organizations in the Ozarks that uses gifts of philanthropy to serve the health of its community.
“Our health system is unique in that we are neighbors serving neighbors,” Josh Reeves, Vice President of Development at Ozarks Healthcare, said. “There are multiple ways to support your local health system through our Foundation. Time, monetary donations, and most importantly, heart, gifted through Ozarks Healthcare’s Foundation all give forward to the health needs of our patients and community.”
The Ozarks Healthcare Foundation is organized exclusively for charitable purposes under Section 501c3 of the Internal Revenue Code to support and assist Ozarks Healthcare. Funds donated to the Foundation assist Ozarks Healthcare in purchasing new medical technology and equipment, establishing community wellness, prevention, and other out-of-hospital services to promote quality of life, and conducting renovation and new facilities. Some of the Foundation’s latest fundraising efforts are focused on purchasing a mobile mammography unit to make life-saving screenings more available to community members.
“Supporting specific campaigns such as our current efforts to purchase a mobile mammography unit is a great way to target your giving for a specific cause that you may be passionate about,” Reeves said. “Many women put off getting a mammogram due to inconvenience. Studies also show women who are underinsured or uninsured are 35 percent more likely to have a mammogram offered by a mobile mammography unit versus going to an outpatient setting. Any donation to this campaign helps us move closer to purchasing a modern unit that will travel to across our service region to help women gain access to a life-saving screening.”
Donations to the mobile mammography campaign can be made online at https://www.ozarkshealthcare.com/support-us/foundation/mobile-mammography-unit-campaign/ or by calling the Foundation directly at 417-853-5200. A truck raffle is also being conducted to raise funds for the campaign. All proceeds from tickets sold will benefit the campaign. Tickets may be purchased by either method mentioned above.
Another specific campaign the Ozarks Healthcare Foundation will be launching soon is its Lights of Life project, which gives community members an opportunity to honor their loved ones by sponsoring a Christmas tree light with a donation of $10 or an ornament with a donation of $25. The Christmas tree, which is displayed in the lobby of Ozarks Healthcare’s North Entrance, will be lit on Dec. 13. More information about the Lights of Life project can be found at https://www.ozarkshealthcare.com/support-us/foundation/lights-of-life/.
“We are excited to share more about our Lights of Life project soon,” Reeves said. “This is a great way to give back and honor a loved one this holiday season. Anyone interested in participating in this event may call our Foundation at 417-853-5200 or visit our website to purchase a light.”
Volunteering is another means to give of heart and time to the health system. Volunteers are a vital part of Ozarks Healthcare, since they enhance the high-quality care given to patients and their families. Volunteers serve in a variety of roles throughout the healthcare system, assisting many different departments and gaining a variety of skills.
“We can actually work with our volunteers to find a schedule and position customizable to their interests and time they have available,” Reeves said. “Our volunteers are beloved by all of our staff and patients. Due to COVID-19, we were not able to have as many volunteers serving, but we are excited to welcome more back to our organization.”
Applications may be accessed online at https://www.ozarkshealthcare.com/support-us/volunteer-opportunities/ or in person at the Ozarks Healthcare Foundation Office. The Ozarks Healthcare Foundation is located at #12 Parkway Center in West Plains.
“It still feels good to be able to help somebody,” an Ozarks Healthcare volunteer of 30 years said. “It gives you a great deal of satisfaction to just be able to bring a smile to somebody's face or comfort them when they are discouraged or have lost a loved one. I am grateful there is a place I can work and feel like I am doing something for someone.”
Other ways to give back to Ozarks Healthcare through the Foundation include one-time monetary gifts, gifts of appreciated securities, real estate, gifts in honor or memory of an individual, charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, bequests, life estate, life insurance gifts, a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) from an IRA, and more.
One of the best ways to give back this year is through spreading the Ozarks Healthcare Foundation’s mission and kindness, Reeves said.
“In a time when we have so many means to communicate despite continued challenges of COVID-19, something everyone can do is help us share our Foundation with others,” Reeves said. “We invite everyone to follow along with us on our Facebook page, share our website link with others, or simply use word of mouth to inform others about the Foundation’s work to support our health system.”
Ozarks Healthcare is a system of care encompassing primary care and specialty clinics, along with complete rehabilitation, behavioral healthcare, and home health services. While the 114-bed acute care hospital cares for more than 5,400 admissions, the entire health system has more than 364,000 patient visits annually in South Central Missouri and Northern Arkansas. For more information about Ozarks Healthcare, visit www.OzarksHealthcare.com.
