A Burning Passion for Helping Others If you connect the dots starting from one family’s introduction to St. Mary Medical Center, you will find a trail of advocates supporting the hospital, to an outpouring of generosity displayed at the recent SMMC Gala held in May 2015. The family is the Charlton family, including Chuck Sr., his two sons Michael and Chuck Jr, owners of Blue Flame Propane Gas Service and Kenderdine’s Heating Oil Company. Chuck Sr., Michael and Chuck Jr. began their commitment to SMMC in 2004, and once that decision was made, they were all in as a family unit. They are annual sponsors of the Gala, and the St. Mary Cyclefest, co-chaired by Charlene Schwartz for many years. This year they were not only John Wayne sponsors for Dessert at the Gala but also raised their paddle for the new bottle warmers for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. “My family has very close ties with Howard and Charlene Schwartz of Newtown,” explained Michael. “They are business as well as personal associates, and were the catalyst for getting us involved with the hospital.”Howard pointed out that the family’s roots and businesses are in Bucks County. The senior Charltons were raised in Bristol while brothers Michael and Chuck grew up in Bensalem. Both Howard and Charlene emphasized the distinguished record that SMMC was achieving as a community hospital, providing the latest state-of-the art technology and equipment to be used by physicians recognized as leaders in their respective specialties. Their arguments that St. Mary needed to be the top hospital in the community made perfect sense to Chuck Sr., who...
Andy and Phyllis Chamra have lived in Bucks County for 23 years. Their interest in St. Mary began 11 years ago when Phyllis’s mother came to live with them because she needed a great deal of medical care. During that time, the Chamras realized just how important it is to have great, state-of-the-art healthcare close to home. Through the numerous hospitalizations and multiple surgeries, they came to appreciate the wonderful care the physicians and nurses at St. Mary provided for her mother. That’s when their charitable giving to St. Mary started. “We have never thought of ourselves as people of means, however, we think of ourselves as blessed; and because of this we feel it’s important to give back to St. Mary. We want to help other families who are dealing with a long term illness of a loved one.” What they came to realize is that St. Mary Medical Center is not just a place to come when you are ill. For eight years, daily visits to the St. Mary Wellness Center have become part of their own routine. They attend many community health seminars and events and are still impressed with the warm, friendly, caring and compassionate staff they encounter every time they are at the hospital. “We feel so privileged to support the innovation, growth, and expansion at St. Mary. It makes us feel like we are paying it forward for all the great care our family member...
Although Gary Buch doesn’t recall exactly when he became a donor to St. Mary, he does remember why. Over the course of several years, Gary and his family had all been treated here for various health issues and came away impressed with the advanced technology and quality of care. But it was his daughter Mindy’s fierce devotion to her husband during his battle with cancer that sparked his transformation from occasional patient to ardent supporter. Mindy became an active advocate for the St. Mary Medical Center Foundation, initiating a giving plan that included the whole family. And the timing couldn’t have been better, as shortly thereafter, Gary’s son Todd was also diagnosed with cancer. As his son waged his battle against non-Hodgkins lymphoma at St. Mary, Gary was grateful that his family had access to a first-rate medical facility nearby. It was then that he made his commitment to ensure that St. Mary will always be there for his family and for every family who needs world-class healthcare. The Buch family is committed to their long-standing tradition of giving back to the community. With each donation, they all know that they are helping to advance the state of healthcare in Bucks County by making it possible for St. Mary to acquire the most effective technologies to fight cancer. Gary hopes neither he nor his family will ever have to use it again. But knowing that it is there—knowing that other families will have access to life-saving care—that’s why he supports St....
A Note on a Napkin: Marsha Brown, a friend of St. Mary Medical Center, is on a wonderful life journey. From humble beginnings in New Orleans, she has always been driven by her faith and her desire to help others. Working in banking in New Orleans, Marsha was feeling unfulfilled. Her client Ruth Fertal had connections in the community and Marsha thought if anyone could help her make a change it was Ruth. While at a dinner party one night with Ruth, Marsha wrote a note on a napkin; “I am unhappy and want to make a change. If you know anyone who is looking to hire, let me know.” A simple note on a napkin changed Marsha Brown’s life forever. She never thought that Ruth would be the one hiring, but immediately after the party, Ruth asked Marsha to come and talk with her about a job in Ruth’s newly formed business empire; Ruth’s Chris Steak Houses. A deep life-long personal and professional relationship was born. That was the first of what Marsha would call “divine interventions,” encounters that changed her life. “I wanted to be in the people business, not the numbers business. Ruth gave me a chance to do both and be successful. She was an intelligent, warm, spiritual, colorful character — a perfect reflection of the city of New Orleans where we are both from.” The next life changing event happened during a Ruth’s Chris Board of Directors meeting, where it was disclosed that the person who intended to buy the franchise rights for the Philadelphia region had bounced his check. Marsha saw this as...
John Celentano, Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Public Affairs, and Philanthropy at Bristol- Myers Squibb, proudly announced a partnership with St. Mary Medical Center with an extraordinary $2 million grant from the pharmaceutical giant. This generous grant will support the Bristol-Myers Squibb Pediatric Emergency Care Center at St. Mary Medical Center as part of “Expanding on Excellence, The Campaign for St. Mary Medical Center.” John is passionate about their mission to discover, develop, and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases. Bristol-Myers Squibb’s commitment to addressing unmet medical needs, improving access to medical care, and eliminating health disparities in the communities where we live and work—especially for the most fragile and underserved—ties into the core values at St. Mary Medical Center. This common commitment creates the perfect opportunity for a community partnership to offer the best medical care to our smallest patients. This gift will be used to build additional pediatric patient rooms and provide advanced equipment and expanded physician coverage to meet the urgent medical needs of families...
