Listeners from all over the east phoned in their support for children pledging $67,439 during the 22nd annual “Music for Miracles” radiothon on 107.9 WNCT.
These generous pledges bring the all-time giving for the event to more than $3.4 million. One hundred percent of the funds raised through Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Hospital events such as this, directly support programs and services at the James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital at Health Medical Center.
This year’s radiothon expanded to include all of the Inner Banks Media radio stations. In addition to 107.9, these include: 103.7 WTIB (Talk of the Town); 96.3 WRHT The New Talk; Groovin’ Oldies 94.1 and 97.9; and 94.3 The Game.
“We are thrilled to have once again been a partner with CMN and ECU Health Medical Center. Doing two days of broadcasts from inside the children’s hospital gave us an opportunity to interact with the doctors, staff and most importantly the kids who are served there,” said Henry Hinton, president, Inner Banks Media. “It is one of the highlights of our year in terms of our public service efforts. As is often the case when you do something like this, it was we who were blessed to have been part of it.”
“The loyal listeners show year after year that they are truly dedicated to making the lives of sick and injured children better. We also couldn’t do it without our volunteers and the children and their families who came to share their inspirational stories about the care they received at Maynard Children’s Hospital,” said Rhonda James, director of development, Maynard Children’s Hospital.
Several of this year’s Miracle Children joined on-air personalities to share with the listeners the difference donations make in a child’s life.
This year’s Miracle Children include: Malachi Austin, 4, Nash County; Mason Burnette, 7 months, Pitt County; Colt Cowell, 6, Pamlico County; Decadyen Donigan, 5, Pitt County; Emirrah Rodgers, 13, Hertford County; Kayleigh Rossie, 1, Beaufort County. To help celebrate the 22nd anniversary of the event, several past miracle children also came out to update listeners on how they are doing.
More than 50 volunteers helped answer phones, including ECU Health team members. A special thank you to the many local restaurants and businesses who donated meals and refreshments.
Children’s Miracle Network is a fundraising program of the ECU Health Foundation. Maynard Children’s Hospital in Greenville serves children and their families living throughout a 29-county region in eastern North Carolina.
Media contact: Rhonda James, director of development, Maynard Children’s Hospital, 252-847-5437 or Beth Anne Atkins, director, marketing and communications, ECU Health Foundation, 252-847-7695 or [email protected]
ECU Health is celebrating 20 successful years of the Community Benefit Grants Program which was created in 1998 as a joint partnership between the health system and the ECU Health Foundation to address the health and wellness of Pitt County residents. As the health system grew, the grants program expanded to include the regional hospital service areas, as well. The overall goal of the program is to help people before they reach the point of being hospitalized for health conditions that could otherwise have been avoided.
“ECU Health feels one of the best ways to empower people to be active partners in their own health care is to provide them with the education and tools needed to prevent and manage chronic disease,” said Dr. Michael Waldrum, CEO, ECU Health. “This is accomplished through establishing community partnerships with local non-profits. The grants program provides these organizations with financial support to develop and implement programs that provide: early detection of chronic illness, education on wellness and prevention strategies, community health initiatives, and health care services directly in the communities where people live.”
Since 1998, $30.4 million has been distributed to 1,670 grant recipients. These funded programs have improved the health and quality of life for countless residents of eastern North Carolina.
“People across eastern North Carolina have benefited from all of the funded initiatives. Programs take place in civic centers, community gardens, Boys and Girls Clubs, churches, schools, senior centers and other community venues,” said Brian Floyd, president of ECU Health Medical Center and chief operating officer of Vidant Health Hospitals. “The grants being funded help remove financial and transportation barriers in receiving health education and direct health services in rural communities. We are reaching well beyond the walls of our hospitals to care for the people in our region who need it most.”
This year, ECU Health is distributing $1.9 million to 160 grants for communities in eastern North Carolina for the 2016-2017 grant cycle. Grants are administered by the ECU Health Foundation and awarded to programs that focus on chronic disease prevention and management, nutrition and physical activity, and improving access to care.
Media contact: Beth Anne Atkins, director, marketing and communications, ECU Health Foundation, 252-847-7695 or [email protected]
SUMMARY
| ECU Health Hospital | # of Programs Recommended for Funding | Dollars Recommended |
# Estimated to be Served |
# Estimated to be Financially Needy |
| Beaufort | 18 | $100,000 | 21,021 | 15,533 |
| Bertie | 14 | $102,250 | 18,496 | 17,606 |
| Chowan | 22 | $107,430 | 19,269 | 7,186 |
| Duplin | 12 | $102,000 | 23,125 | 19,167 |
| Edgecombe | 14 | $106,000 | 6,625 | 5,445 |
| Outer Banks Health | 8 | $110,000* | 4,219 | 4,219 |
| Roanoke-Chowan | 13 | $100,000 | 12,054 | 9,554 |
| Total Regional | 101 | $727,680 | 104,809 | 78,710 |
| ECU Medical Center | 59 | $1,182,350 | 402,549 | 216,923 |
| Overall Total | 160 | $1,910,030 | 507,358 | 295,633 |
ECU Health is pleased to announce that Scott Senatore, vice president of the ECU Health Foundation, will step into the president’s role effective July 9, 2018.
Janet Mullaney, current president of the Foundation, is retiring July 6.
“My long tenure at ECU Health has been very rewarding, and my work with the Foundation has been the pinnacle of my career,” said Mullaney.
Senatore joined the Foundation in June 2016 and, with the Foundation team, has participated in raising $43 million toward the $50 million goal for the ECU Health Cancer Care Campaign. The Foundation team has continued to raise funds for James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital and other system initiatives that support its mission. Additionally, the Foundation team has enhanced marketing and communication efforts and has developed a more targeted approach to community relations.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Senatore had a successful 10-year career at the Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce. He stepped into the president’s role at the Chamber for the last three years of his tenure. While at the Chamber, Senatore was a part of a team that increased revenue, grew membership, expanded economic development efforts, grew advocacy efforts and established new partnerships.
Senatore has an undergraduate degree in public relations from the School of Media and Journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Master of Business Administration from East Carolina University (ECU). He is currently working on a doctorate at ECU in educational leadership. In addition, he holds a certificate in Nonprofit Organizational Management from the United States Chamber of Commerce.
Senatore and his wife, Amanda, have lived in Greenville for 14 years. Amanda, a native of Greenville, is a physician’s assistant at the ECU Health Medical Center Minor Emergency Department. They have two boys, ages 6 and 3.
“I’m honored to have the opportunity to lead the ECU Health Foundation. I’m inspired by and grateful for our donors, volunteers and Foundation team as they continue to demonstrate their generosity and dedication in support of our mission to improve the health and well-being of eastern North Carolina,” said Senatore. “I appreciate the confidence our Board, our team and ECU Health has in me to guide the Foundation through a very transformative time in health care.”
As president of the ECU Health Foundation, Senatore will be responsible for leadership and oversight of the organization, which includes the Foundation’s overall strategies, management, planning and operations.
“We are so appreciative of Janet’s leadership during the last two years. She has been instrumental in taking the ECU Health Foundation to the next level,” said Myra Bowen, chair, ECU Health Foundation Board of Trustees. “We are thrilled that Scott is able to step into this role and continue to provide strategic leadership and direction for the Foundation team. He has proven, during the last two years, that he has the skills and experience necessary to lead and enhance our philanthropic efforts in the region.”
Media contact: Beth Anne Atkins, director, marketing and communications, ECU Health Foundation, 252-847-7695 or [email protected]
ECU and Vidant Health are partnering to create two senior faculty positions in the Division of Hematology and Oncology at ECU’s Brody School of Medicine. The positions are being funded by a generous gift to the Vidant Cancer Care campaign by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Barnhill Jr. of Tarboro.
“We are passionate about giving back to the community within which we work and live,” said Robert Barnhill. “It is our hope that we can continue to support medical research and health care initiatives in eastern North Carolina with this gift.”
Barnhill, a native of Edgecombe County, graduated from ECU in 1970 with a degree in business administration. His family’s company, Barnhill Contracting, was founded in 1949 and is headquartered in Rocky Mount. The company does work across the southeastern United States in site infrastructure, highway and commercial building construction. Barnhill and his wife, Penny, have two sons who work with the family business and a daughter who resides in Charlotte.
“The Brody School of Medicine and Vidant are leaders in providing skilled doctors and essential care to eastern North Carolinians. That commitment to health and service continues with these professorships made possible by the generosity of the Barnhills. It is a gift that will inspire faculty to push the frontiers of their scholarship and research as well as prepare thousands of students to follow their path as successful physicians,” said ECU Chancellor Cecil P. Staton.
Vidant is excited about the opportunity to continue to build and enhance Vidant Cancer Care through this partnership with the Barnhills and ECU.
“We are honored and thrilled that the Barnhills chose to support the Vidant Cancer Care campaign in this manner,” said Dr. Michael Waldrum, CEO of Vidant Health. “Vidant Health has dedicated significant resources to build a premier cancer program, focusing on developing a sustainable, regionally-connected system-of-care that will require effective physician leadership on all levels.”
Dr. Mark Stacy, dean of Brody, expressed his gratitude for the Barnhills’ gift and the impact it will have on eastern North Carolina. “We’ve all been touched by cancer in one way or another. We’re grateful to the Barnhills for their generous contribution to battling this disease that creates an especially heavy burden on our part of the state. This gift creates new opportunities to explore and advance the way we deliver oncology care here,” said Stacy.
The two professorships will be named the “Barnhill Family Distinguished Professorship” and the “Robert and Penny Barnhill Distinguished Professorship.” Vidant and ECU will work together to determine the timing of the creation of the positions, as well as tenure status, compensation, responsibilities and candidate selection. This partnership is just one of the many ways Vidant and ECU are working together to support patient care, physician engagement, education and research.
Vidant Cancer Care at the Eddie and Jo Allison Smith Tower in Greenville opened to patients on March 25. The estimated cost of construction and equipping the cancer center and bed tower is $174 million. Approximately $50 million is being funded through philanthropy.
Vidant Health and Golden LEAF Foundation officials announced today a $10.8 million grant to fund major equipment in the state-of-the-art cancer center and bed tower on the Vidant Medical Center campus. Eastern North Carolina has a much higher mortality rate for cancer diagnosis than the national average, and more than 7,500 new cases are diagnosed each year in this region.
“We are honored and thrilled that the Golden LEAF Foundation Board of Directors decided to support this project that is so vital for the people of eastern North Carolina,” said Dr. Michael Waldrum, CEO, Vidant Health. “Vidant Health has recognized that the numbers are not improving, so we have dedicated significant resources to build a premier cancer program, focusing on developing a sustainable, regionally connected system-of-care.”
Golden LEAF’s mission is to increase economic opportunity in North Carolina’s rural and tobacco-dependent communities. The Foundation funds projects affecting critical issues in rural communities such as creating opportunities for new jobs, helping retain crucial businesses at risk for leaving an area and readying the workforce.
“The Golden LEAF Foundation is proud to partner with Vidant Health to provide important and needed specialty healthcare services to rural Eastern North Carolina,” said Dan Gerlach, Golden LEAF President. “The increased health care service in Pitt County and other eastern North Carolina counties will also create 197 new jobs at the cancer center and train 3,500 new health care professionals annually. This grant will result in multiple wins for eastern North Carolina – improved rural health care access as well as jobs in the region.”
The new 418,000-square-foot cancer center and bed tower is located adjacent to the existing East Carolina Heart Institute on the Greenville campus. The six-story, 96-bed facility will be designed so all inpatient beds can provide cancer care at the tertiary level. For now, this includes intermediate and general level medical and surgical care for inpatients, with the capability for intensive care in the future. It also includes space for the following:
- First floor – 140,000 square feet, including a lobby, outpatient cancer clinic, radiation oncology, infusion services, patient support, pharmacy, lab and administration office space.
- Second floor – 48 inpatient beds and clinical support space
- Third floor – mechanical, electrical and support space
- Fourth floor – 48 inpatient beds and clinical support space
- Fifth and sixth floors – space for possible future expansion and/or the replacement of existing hospital inpatient beds
Examples of some of the equipment being purchased with Golden LEAF Foundation grant dollars include:
- 3T MRI (3 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging – offers increased image clarity that is beneficial for identifying pathological conditions involving the brain, spine and musculoskeletal system and allows for high-quality vascular imaging; also has shorter scan times that maximize patient comfort without compromising quality).
- PET/CT scanner (Positron Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography) – upgrade to current equipment.
- Mammography, bone density and ultrasound equipment – This new equipment will allow for screening and early detection of breast cancer.
- Video conferences equipment – The conference rooms will allow multidisciplinary teams to participate in cancer case review, care planning and education using state-of-the-art technologies (high definition monitors/screens, speakers, cameras and computer programming/capability).
Throughout the building, visitors will find special touches and features to help enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of care delivery and improve the patient experience. Patients, visitors and team members will be able to enjoy healing gardens and natural outside environments, as well as shop at a specialized boutique and Image Renewal Center designed to meet the needs of cancer patients. There will also be a resource room for patients and families to do research, in addition to conference space for cancer awareness and support programs.
The estimated cost of construction and equipping the cancer center and bed tower is $174 million. Approximately $50 million will be funded through philanthropy.
The cancer center and bed tower is scheduled to open in March 2018.
Media contact: Beth Anne Atkins, director, marketing and communications, ECU Health Foundation, 252-847-7695 or [email protected]
About Golden LEAF Foundation
The Golden LEAF Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 1999 to receive a portion of North Carolina’s funding received from the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement with cigarette manufacturers. For almost 20 years, Golden LEAF has worked to increase economic opportunity in North Carolina’s rural and tobacco-dependent communities through leadership in grantsmaking, collaboration, innovation, and stewardship as an independent and perpetual foundation.
The Foundation has provided lasting impact to tobacco-dependent, economically distressed and rural areas of the state by helping create 61,000 jobs, over half a billion dollars in new payrolls and more than 65,000 workers trained or retrained for higher wages.
To learn more about the Golden LEAF Foundation, visit www.goldenleaf.org or call 888-684-8404.
Miracle Children and their stories of remarkable courage during life-threatening illnesses and injuries helped make the 33rd annual Celebration Broadcast a tremendous success.
Thanks to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals’ longtime television partner, WITN, which produces the two-day fundraiser, this year’s Miracle Children were able to share their heartwarming stories of complex illnesses and traumatic injuries and the quality medical care they received from James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital at Vidant Medical Center.
The theme of this year’s Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals campaign has been “Put Your Money Where the Miracles Are,” which shows how important donations are in helping shape a healthier tomorrow for patients served at Maynard Children’s Hospital.
This also marked the 16th year that Krispy Kreme has partnered with the local Children’s Miracle Network program by generously providing certificates for a free dozen glazed doughnuts for each $12 x 12 donation made. In addition to supporting the televised broadcast on WITN, they also support the 107.9 Radiothon by providing their listeners the same delicious treat to say thank you for supporting sick and injured children in eastern North Carolina.
Major contributors to the yearly event, held June 1 and 3 to raise money for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, featured contributions from long-time supporters from across eastern North Carolina including Speedway, Walmart/Sam’s Clubs, Log A Load for Kids and The Service League of Greenville.
“Caring individuals, community groups, businesses and others show how much they care about children by providing generous contributions to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. In eastern North Carolina, this generosity enables the Maynard Children’s Hospital, located in Greenville and serving 29 counties, to see beyond obvious treatment and save more lives,” said Myra Bowen, chair, Vidant Health Foundation Board of Trustees. “The care and high-quality treatment received here will continue into the future through this year’s amazing donors.”
The Celebration Broadcast featured guests and sponsors who have contributed during the past year, as well as callers who pledged their support.
Earlier this year, the Music for Miracles Radiothon on 107.9 WNCT raised more than $75,000 during the 21st year of their special event, bringing their total raised to more than $3.5 million. For the first time, this year’s radiothon expanded to include all Inner Banks Media radio stations. In addition to 107.9, these included: 103.7 WTIB (Talk of the Town); 94.1 WNBU; 96.3 Thunder Country; 97.9 Fresh; and 94.3 The Game.
The largest donor to this year’s campaign came from a long-time corporate partner of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, Speedway, which raised $232,033 in just their third year of partnership with Maynard Children’s Hospital.
Other major donors and their gifts included Walmart/Sam’s Clubs with $116,824; Log A Load for Kids with $135,000; and Jersey Mike’s Subs (eastern North Carolina stores) with $77,176.
Several local fundraising initiatives proved successful for this year’s campaign, including Bryson’s Birdies for Kids which raised $34,500; Dance Arts Theatre’s Nutcracker Ballet with $25,247; The International Taste of Greenville with $24,898; and Extra Life with $17,918.
Other campaign contributors were Panda Express with $23,834; RE/MAX with $14,820; Phi Mu Chapter of ECU with $11,428; Dairy Queen with $11,115; The Electric Cooperatives of Eastern Carolina with $10,000; Rite Aid with $9,600; and Ace Hardware with $7,486. Pepsi/Minges Bottling Group; The Service League of Greenville; WIMCO; Eastern Radiologists, Inc.; and Harris, Creech, Ward and Blackerby, P.A. each contributed $5,000.
Additional gifts were from 3HC Home Health and Hospice with $3,000; Securities Lending Hand Foundation and Pungo Christian Academy with $2,500; IHOP with $2,264; Greater Greenville Kiwanis Club with $1,270; Care-O-World Enrichment Center with $2,363; Baynor, Inc. Central World Heating and Air Conditioning; and Grady White Boats with $2,000; Greenville Little Leagues with $1,888; United Networks of America with $1,695; MSL Health Care Partners, Inc. and Oasis Shrine Temple each with $1,500; Veneer Technologies with $1,400; Publix with $1,396; Vidant Edgecombe Blue Jeans for Babies with $1,234; Ollie’s Bargain Outlet with $1,081; and brothers, Arun and Ajay Ajmera each with $1,100. Aldridge and Southerland Realtors, AKA of Kinston; Team Lighting; LJ Construction; Ricci Law Firm; Coldwell Bankers Coastal Rivers Realty; and Greenville Pediatrics each gave $1,000.
The local Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals fundraising program is staffed and supported by the Vidant Health Foundation, the non-profit charitable corporation that serves as the custodian for all financial gifts and bequests to Vidant Health. The Vidant Health Foundation oversees allocation of all donated funds.
Media contact: Beth Anne Atkins, director, marketing and communications, ECU Health Foundation, 252-847-7695 or [email protected]
“Because we believe in a life without cancer.”
These words have been echoed throughout eastern North Carolina during the last three years as everyone watched the new cancer center and bed tower rise out of the ground into the six-story building that now sits on the east side of the Vidant Medical Center Campus in Greenville.
To help Vidant Health fulfill this bold mission to keep people disease free and successfully treat those who are diagnosed with cancer, Eddie Smith Jr. and his wife of 55 years, Jo Allison, through their family foundation, have generously given the lead gift to help fund the completion of the tower. Their contribution also assisted in bringing other major donors on board for the cancer center.
“This gift is in honor of the many friends, family members and associates who have already fought the fight against cancer, for those who are fighting and those whose fight is yet to come,” said Eddie Smith, owner and CEO of Grady-White boats. “We are so blessed to be able to give back to this community, this area, and its people who have been such a blessing to us during our lives.”
The Smiths moved to Greenville in 1968 to build a business and raise a family. They are grateful for the opportunities and friendships the community has provided during the last 50 years.
“We are so humbled and honored that Eddie and Jo Allison chose to support this project that is so vital to the people of eastern North Carolina,” said Dr. Michael Waldrum, CEO, Vidant Health. “We are inspired by a commitment to provide unsurpassed care close to home which is why we are creating a coordinated network of hospitals and physicians that will position the system as the region’s premier provider of cancer care.”
The Smiths share the Vidant Health vision to prevent cancer whenever possible, diagnose the disease in the earliest stages and ensure that every cancer patient receives world-class care while staying close to home.
The new 418,000-square-foot cancer center and bed tower is located adjacent to the existing East Carolina Heart Institute on the Greenville campus. The six-story, 96-bed facility is designed so all inpatient beds can provide cancer care at the tertiary level. For now, this includes intermediate and general level medical and surgical care for inpatients, with the capability for intensive care in the future. It also includes space for the following:
- First floor – 140,000 square feet, including a lobby, outpatient cancer clinic, radiation oncology, infusion services, patient support, pharmacy, lab and administration office space
- Second floor – 48 inpatient beds and clinical support space
- Third floor – mechanical, electrical and support space
- Fourth floor – 48 inpatient beds and clinical support space
- Fifth and sixth floors – space for possible future expansion and/or the replacement of existing hospital inpatient beds
Throughout the building, visitors will find special touches and features to help enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of care delivery and improve the patient experience. Patients, visitors and team members will be able to enjoy healing gardens and natural outside environments, as well as shop at a specialized boutique and Image Renewal Center designed to meet the needs of cancer patients. There will also be a resource room for patients and families to do research, in addition to conference space for cancer awareness and support programs.
The estimated cost of construction and equipping the cancer center and bed tower is $174 million. Approximately $50 million will be funded through philanthropy.
The cancer center and bed tower will open later this month.
Media contact: Beth Anne Atkins, director, marketing and communications, ECU Health Foundation, 252-847-7695 or [email protected]
About The Eddie and Jo Allison Smith Family Foundation
The Eddie and Jo Allison Smith Family Foundation was formed in 1993, and supports health, education, environment, and many community organizations from the arts to human services. Eddie is the owner and CEO of Grady-White Boats, a local company that is also committed to community involvement. Both the company and the foundation support projects that have made a difference and improved the quality of life here in eastern North Carolina.