Take Me Out to the Ballgame
Donors demonstrate their St. Mary team spirit
The St. Mary Foundation hosted our 9th annual night out at Arm & Hammer Park honoring members of the Legacy and 1973 Societies on May 12. Nearly 50 guests gathered in the Yankee Club Suite to watch the Trenton Thunder take on the Reading Fightin’ Phills for a standing room only crowd!
Ballpark staff and the team celebrated hospital professionals’ night by welcoming St. Mary’s own Jeannette Bernacki, BSN, Interim Service Line Administrator for Oncology as well as Jamison Jaffe, DO and Justin Harmon, DO, of Comprehensive Urologic Specialties onto the field to recognize them all for their dedication to serving the healthcare needs of our patients. Special guests Boomer and Cloudman from the Thunder and the Philly Phanatic joined them for a photo opportunity before clearing the field for the first pitch.
What exactly is the 1973 Society?
An invitation to participate in this group is for those special donors who have demonstrated that the four pillars of the 1973 Society– healing, hope, charity, and community– are of utmost value to them too.
The 1973 Society enables community members to support St. Marys unique delivery of patient-centered healthcare in a world that has become disconnected from the human spirit and sees patients not as people, but as numbers. St. Mary brings state-of-the-art healthcare to our local community while attracting leading physicians and clinicians from all over the world.
Membership in the 1973 Society is a donors passport to insider experiences designed just for them including facility openings, physician meet & greets, and exclusive receptions to name just a few. Exciting ongoing growth at St. Mary has enabled us to meet the critical needs of thousands of patients. We are committed to remaining on the cutting edge of medical services and need the help of generous people like you.
For information about the 1973 Society, please contact Kat O’Connor at 215.710.5894 or email.
At the top of the 4th inning, guests were gathered inside the suite for a brief presentation from Jeannette. She thanked the audience, explaining how their support makes a difference in the lives of patients in the Cancer Center every day. Plans for the expansion and renovation of the infusion room were shared next. Jeannette explained that the current room, while functional, is very cramped. Patients are often in this room for treatments lasting up to eight hours and often need to come in multiple times each week for extended periods of time. The new space, when completed, will provide much more room, privacy and comfort for patients. Views of the Healing Gardens will also make the area a relaxing and soothing environment. She also described some new technology heading to the Cancer Center, funded through proceeds from the Spring Gala, which will assist in treating patients with lung and left-sided breast cancer. This new machine called a breath hold device coaches patients to time and hold their breaths in such a way as to lift essential organs out of the path of radiation used to treat cancerous tumors. This allows for a more targeted radiation therapy with reduced impact on healthy surrounding tissue.
Learn why Nancy Smollar is proud to be part of the 1973 Society
Some say it takes a village to raise a child. Now, I say it takes an up-to-date medical center with many professionals to mend a broken body. Which of these could I have done without—the emergency room, the hospital room, the inpatient rehabilitation, the in-home visiting nurse, the in-home and outpatient rehabilitation, the wellness center or the support staff? None. Working together as a well-oiled team, St. Mary professionals across all of these services game me my life back.
In March 2009 it was my turn to learn that my helath and my life could change in an instant. Many people have already had their March 2009 moments and can share my deep appreciation for the care and support St. Mary Medical Center offers. They see us at our worst and with superior knowledge, caring hands, and a smile they help us to pick up the pieces and move forward. I saw first-hand how St. Mary Medical Center lives its values of excellence, campassion, integrity, and respect. I am comforted knowing that St. Mary’s stands ready to help all of the March 2009 moments to come. So, when asked to help ensure St. Mary maintains its excellent standards, I feel fortunate to be able to return the favor with a financial contribution.
I hope you do, too, and will join me.
Warm regards,
Nancy Smollar, Grateful patient
Projects and equipment like these are a direct result of St. Mary’s response to community need and would not be possible without private financial support. The presentation concluded with another heartfelt thank you to the group for their generosity.
For more information on the 1973 and Legacy Societies or how you can support the St. Mary Cancer Center, please contact the Foundation office at 215.710.2591.