TCMH Healthcare Foundation to Award $6,500 in Scholarships

Posted on April 25, 2017April 25, 2017 by admin

The Texas County Memorial Hospital Healthcare Foundation has opened the application window for $6,500 in educational scholarships for the fall 2017 academic year.

The TCMH Healthcare Foundation Educational Scholarship Program is designed to assist students that are pursuing or planning to pursue education in a healthcare related field or students currently working in healthcare that are pursuing additional education for their current career.

The Healthcare Foundation is in its eleventh year of awarding scholarships in the fall and the spring. Students from towns across the county have received the scholarships.

In addition to two scholarships from the TCMH Healthcare Foundation, the Healthcare Foundation will also award the “Dr. Joe L. and Judith T. Spears Memorial Scholarship” and the “Dr. Eugene Charles Honeywell Memorial Scholarship”. Both are endowed funds that are awarded to a deserving student annually.

Healthcare Services Group Charitable Foundation, the purchasing group that TCMH belongs to, provides matching funds for scholarships given by the TCMH Healthcare Foundation. Those funds are available annually to the Healthcare Foundation and enable the Healthcare Foundation to give out an additional $3,000 in scholarships to area students.

“Educational scholarships are a major focus area of the Healthcare Foundation,” Jay Gentry, TCMH Healthcare Foundation director, stated. “The board of directors of the Foundation recognizes the need to assist areas students in their educational endeavors with hopes that the student will return to or stay in the Texas County area to provide healthcare services to area residents after receiving additional education.”

The Healthcare Foundation has awarded over $75,000 in scholarship funds since the scholarship program began 11 years ago.

Endowed scholarships provide some of the educational funds, and the Healthcare Foundation hosts an annual golf tournament to raise money for the scholarship program. The annual golf tournament is planned for early June.

Eligible students for the scholarships must be accepted to or currently enrolled in an accredited university, college or post-secondary training program. Residents of the TCMH service area—all of Texas County and Mountain Grove—and students that are graduates of Texas County and Mountain Grove schools are eligible to apply. Applicants already pursuing a career in a healthcare organization, or applicants planning to pursue a career in a health field with direct patient care are eligible to apply for the scholarships.

The scholarship application asks for information about the student and requires a short essay about the student’s career and educational goals. Applicants are also asked to list community involvement activities on their application, and they may be asked to meet with Foundation board members for a short personal interview.

The deadline for the fall scholarship applications is July 1, 2017. Awards for the scholarship will be announced by September 1, 2017.

For more information about the scholarship program or to receive an application, contact Gentry by phone at (417) 967-1377 or 1-866-967-3311, ext. 4202 or by e-mail at jgentry@tcmh.org. The scholarship application and complete details are also available at www.tcmhfoundation.org.

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For additional information, contact:

Joleen Senter Durham, Director of Public Relations/Marketing

Texas County Memorial Hospital

Phone: 417/967-1258

Fax: 417/967-1291

joleen@tcmh.org

TCMH Healthcare Foundation Plans Annual Golf Tournament

Posted on April 25, 2017April 25, 2017 by admin

Plans are underway for the twelfth annual Texas County Memorial Hospital Healthcare Foundation Charitable Golf Tournament at Oakwood Golf Course in Houston on Saturday, June 10^th.

The tournament is a two-person scramble, and a team can play for $120, which includes a cart, green fees, mulligans and lunch. Tee times are at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m., and the tournament is limited to 40 teams.

Prizes will be awarded in four flights with three places in each flight. The number of entrants in the tournament will determine prizes and flights.

There will be many prizes awarded including a hole in one prize and prizes for the longest drive and closest to the pin. Entrants will also be eligible for door prizes.

The TCMH Healthcare Foundation is a non-profit organization with a mission to ensure the quality of healthcare services for children, women and men at TCMH. The Missouri Foundation for Health has partnered with the Healthcare Foundation as the corporate underwriter for the event.

“The TCMH Healthcare Foundation golf tournament assists us in developing the funds needed for our scholarship program, and it helps provide resources for capital projects,” Jay Gentry, TCMH Healthcare Foundation director, stated.

The Foundation awards four $1,000 scholarships during the school year—two in the spring and two in the fall—since 2006. The scholarships are given to students in the TCMH service area that are pursuing additional education in a healthcare field.

The Healthcare Foundation has awarded over $75,000 in scholarship funds since the scholarship program began.

The Foundation is already accepting applications for two $1,000 scholarships and other Foundation administered scholarships that will be awarded for the fall academic semester.

For more information, or to reserve a place in the tournament, contact Gentry at (417) 967-1377.

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For additional information, contact:

Joleen Senter Durham, Director of Public Relations/Marketing

Texas County Memorial Hospital

Phone: 417/967-1258

Fax: 417/967-1291

joleen@tcmh.org

TCMH Healthcare Foundation Recognizes Giving Partners

Posted on March 29, 2017March 29, 2017 by admin

The Texas County Memorial Hospital Healthcare Foundation held a lunch on Friday and recognized hospital employee donors that have fulfilled or are close to fulfilling pledges as members of the “TCMH Futures Team”. TCMH Futures Team members, past and present hospital employees, are responsible for donating $410,000 to the Healthcare Foundation’s capital campaign efforts over the past five years.

Sixty-three current hospital employees were members of the TCMH Futures Team receiving recognition. Twenty-seven more recently hired employees have made pledges to the Healthcare Foundation as part of the 5N5 program that will continue beyond this spring. Those members will be recognized in the future.

In 2012, Jay Gentry, TCMH Healthcare Foundation president, and members of the Healthcare Foundation board of directors, rolled out a “5N5” donor campaign asking employees to pledge donations to the “Care for Your Future” capital campaign over five years or less. Over 100 employees made one-time donations or pledged regular donations through payroll or paid time off deductions.

“We had people drop out of the program over time because they left TCMH due to retirement or job changes, and we picked up new employee members along the way, too,” Gentry said.

Gentry explained that many employees that were part of the 5N5 program have continued to give to the Healthcare Foundation even after their pledge period ended.

Wes Murray, TCMH chief executive officer, cites a “giving culture” at TCMH.

“Whether it’s giving to help out an employee in a crisis situation or giving to help out a local organization such as Ozark Action or the Texas County Food Pantry, TCMH employees set the bar for giving,” Murray said.

Murray noted that employee interest in improving the hospital’s infrastructure and growing primary care services is strong.

“Our employees believe in and want to see new patient care areas throughout the hospital,” Murray said.

There are several employees at TCMH that are second and third generation employees that work at the hospital.

“Many of our employees view TCMH as a place where their children may work someday, and they definitely believe the hospital will care for them and their families in the future,” Murray said.

“Our employees know that TCMH is dedicated to the patients, the employees and the communities we serve,” Murray said, adding, “And the employees are proud to reciprocate that dedication by stepping up and committing to building for our community’s future healthcare and employment needs.”

In addition to the lunch for the employee donors, the Healthcare Foundation is honoring the employees that fulfilled their pledge with an engraved brick as part of the brick paver project currently underway by the Healthcare Foundation.

“These employees have made a lasting gift to their hospital. We want to honor them in a way that is remembered for many years, too,” Gentry said.

Gentry explained that additional signage inside the department will recognize donors in the new surgery area when it is complete.

Twenty-six employees, past and present, have given $3,000 or more, earning them a spot on the Healthcare Foundation’s Tree of Life, a donor recognition tree located in a main lobby of the hospital.

The surgery department shell at TCMH has been completed, but interior work—operating rooms, recovery rooms, a waiting area, staff dressing rooms, and other related spaces are currently in the process of being built. TCMH has donations from private donors, tax credits and a grant from the Delta Region Authority to help with the project, but funds are still being raised for specialized equipment the department will need.

“Several of the 5N5 employee donor partners have continued to give to the Foundation, requesting that funds go toward the construction and equipment needs for the surgery department,” Gentry said.

Gentry added, “Many employees do not want the construction at TCMH to stop until the hospital reaches its ultimate goal of having all new patient care areas.”

Once the surgery department is complete, TCMH plans to renovate the original surgery area and the intensive care unit and obstetrics department to give both departments more patient space.
The Healthcare Foundation continues to accept private donations and seek grant funding for capital improvements at the hospital.

For additional information about the TCMH Healthcare Foundation, contact Gentry at jgentry@tcmh.org or 1-866-967-3311.

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For additional information, contact:
Joleen Senter Durham, Director of Public Relations/Marketing
Texas County Memorial Hospital
Phone: 417/967-1258
Fax: 417/967-1291
joleen@tcmh.org

Matching Funds Help TCMH Healthcare Foundation Grow Endowed Scholarship

Posted on March 29, 2017March 29, 2017 by admin

The Texas County Memorial Hospital Healthcare Foundation Youth Ambassador Endowed Scholarship Fund has the opportunity to grow by at least another $10,000 this spring thanks to a matching challenge grant from Community Foundation of the Ozarks (CFO) to benefit affiliate endowments.

The Healthcare Foundation was one of 20 CFO affiliates selected to participate in the program that will match every dollar given up to $5,000. Progressive Ozark Bank in Houston and Orscheln Farm and Home have already donated funds to the Healthcare Foundation that will be matched by CFO this year.

The Healthcare Foundation started the Youth Ambassador Endowed Scholarship Fund in 2015 in part through a matching challenge grant from CFO and through “Give Ozarks”, a 24-hour day of giving organized by CFO. The Healthcare Foundation continued to raise funds for the scholarship fund through Give Ozarks, bringing the scholarship fund balance to over $20,000 in the past two years.

“As the fund has grown, we have been able to increase the number of scholarships given annually to two scholarships, and the amount of the scholarships has also grown,” Jay Gentry, TCMH Healthcare Foundation director, said.

In 2016, the Healthcare Foundation awarded two scholarships—one $250 and one $500—to two Youth Ambassadors. With additional funds, Gentry noted that the scholarship amounts could be raised to $750 and $500 annually.

Gentry is currently working to secure the $5,000 match by the first week of May, but the Healthcare Foundation also plans to participate in “Give Ozarks”, the 24-hour day of giving organized by CFO for Tuesday, May 9th to add to the endowment funds.

“In addition to the major donations we’ve already received for the project, other donor partners are also stepping up to meet the challenge and partner in the endowed scholarship project,” Gentry said, adding, “This is a great opportunity to make a long-lasting impact in the lives of area students.”

The Healthcare Foundation is one of several area entities that are participating in Give Ozarks in 2017.

Give Ozarks is a one-day surge across the state of Missouri that is part of the national “Give Local America Day”. With the assistance of CFO, donors will be able to make online donations at www.giveozarks.org to the Healthcare Foundation and to the Houston Education Foundation.

CFO will match donations made that day up to $5,000, and they have additional matching funds and prizes available to organizations that rally donors to participate in the 24-hour day of giving.

“We are excited about creating an endowed scholarship for the TCMH Youth Ambassadors,” Gentry said. “The Youth Ambassadors have volunteered over 375 hours at TCMH since September of this year, and they are an important resource at TCMH.”

The Youth Ambassador program at TCMH allows selected area high school juniors and seniors and college students to volunteer in hospital departments for medical experience. Volunteer duties include passing out fresh linens and filling ice water cups for patients on the medical surgical floors, rocking newborns and greeting visitors in the obstetrics department, and reading to and talking with patients in the hospital’s swing bed program.

With the Youth Ambassador Endowed Scholarship Fund, eligible Youth Ambassadors have the opportunity annually to receive a scholarship toward higher education.

Funds donated to the TCMH Healthcare Foundation are tax-deductible. For funds to be matched by CFO for the Healthcare Foundation’s endowed scholarship program, donations must be made online on May 9th or in the Healthcare Foundation’s hands by April 28, 2017.

For additional information, contact Gentry at (417) 967-1377 or jay.gentry@tcmh.org

# # #

For additional information, contact:
Joleen Senter Durham, Director of Public Relations/Marketing
Texas County Memorial Hospital
Phone: 417/967-1258
Fax: 417/967-1291
joleen@tcmh.org

TCMH Healthcare Foundation Awards Scholarships

Posted on February 3, 2017February 3, 2017 by admin

The Texas County Memorial Hospital Healthcare Foundation has awarded two $1,000 scholarships to area students to assist with their educational costs for the 2017 spring school semester.

Receiving scholarships from the TCMH Healthcare Foundation were Connie Brooks of Willow Springs and Angela Watkins of Rolla. The recipients were chosen among several applicants by members of the Healthcare Foundation board of directors.

Brooks is a student at Central Methodist University in Fayette, MO, and she’s pursuing a bachelor’s degree in nursing. Brooks is a registered nurse and director of the TCMH education department.

Watkins is pursuing a graduate degree in the pediatric nurse practitioner program at Maryville University in St. Louis, MO. She is currently a registered nurse and director of the obstetrics department at TCMH.

Brooks is a first-time Healthcare Foundation scholarship recipient. This is the second time Watkins has received a scholarship from the Healthcare Foundation.

“Educational scholarships are a focus area of the TCMH Healthcare Foundation,” Jay Gentry, Healthcare Foundation director, said. He added, “Our board of directors believes in the importance of education for area students that are pursuing training in healthcare-related fields.”

The Healthcare Foundation awards educational scholarships for students pursuing additional higher education each spring and fall. This fall, the Healthcare Foundation will award endowed scholarship funds in addition to the Healthcare Foundation scholarships.

“The Foundation board of directors recognizes the growing need for healthcare providers in rural America,” Gentry stated. “It is the hope of the Foundation that these scholarships will assist in attracting and retaining qualified residents to work in the local healthcare fields.”

Complete scholarship information and the scholarship application is available online at www.tcmhfoundation.org.

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For additional information, contact:
Joleen Senter Durham, Director of Public Relations/Marketing
Texas County Memorial Hospital
Phone: 417/967-1258
Fax: 417/967-1291
joleen@tcmh.org

Texas County Memorial Hospital (TCMH) Healthcare Foundation invites you to invest in the future of quality health care by supporting our brick paver program

Posted on August 31, 2016August 31, 2016 by admin

Personalized pavers are a wonderful means of honoring others in a lasting, meaningful way, while supporting the Foundation. The bricks can be engraved with names and dates for different occasions, such as to commemorate an anniversary, celebrate an event, or placed as a memorial for a loved one. Birthday bricks may be purchase for children born at Texas County Memorial Hospital. Businesses and organizations are also encouraged to participate.

Gifts to the Foundation help assist Texas County Memorial Hospital in its mission to improve the health of the people and communities it serves.

Click Here for the Brochure and Mail Order Form

Click Here to Order Online

Where will the engraved pavers be installed?

Pavers will be installed in an area adjacent to the main hospital entrance where the front canopy support columns are located.

What does my gift support?

Donations from the paver campaign improve patient care by supporting the completion of a new surgery facility.

What process is used to engrave the pavers?

Pavers are laser engraved to create the most durable and permanent paver marking in existence.

How often will bricks be installed?

Installation of pavers will occur twice a year in the fall and sprint until the designated area is full. Bricks will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis.

Additional questions, contact jgentry@tcmh.org.

TCMH Healthcare Foundation Awards Scholarships to Area Students

Posted on August 5, 2016August 5, 2016 by admin

The Texas County Memorial Hospital Healthcare Foundation awarded $6,500 in scholarships to area students to assist with their educational costs for the 2016 fall school semester.

Receiving $1,000 scholarships from the TCMH Healthcare Foundation were Victoria Floyd, Samantha Garrett, Jenny Sawyer and Megan Silveus of Houston and Miranda Prock of Mountain Grove.

Floyd is in the doctor of pharmacy program at the University of Missouri Kansas City. Floyd is a 2010 graduate of Houston High School, and she anticipates completing her degree program in 2018.

Garrett is a 2016 graduate of Houston High School. Garrett will begin her first year at Truman State University in Kirksville, MO this fall, and she plans to pursue a degree in exercise science. While in high school, Garrett was a member of the TCMH Youth Ambassador program.

Sawyer is pursuing a bachelor of science in nursing through Central Methodist College in Fayette, MO. She is a registered nurse and is employed full time at TCMH as the infection control director.

Silveus is a 2015 graduate of Houston High School. This fall she is attending Missouri State University in West Plains where she plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in nursing. In high school, Silveus was a TCMH Youth Ambassador volunteer, and she currently works part-time in the TCMH emergency department.

This fall Prock begins pursuing a master’s degree in speech pathology at Missouri State University in Springfield, MO. She also has a bachelor’s degree in communication science and disorders from MSU.

Floyd, Sawyer, Silveus, and Prock have all been previous recipients of scholarships through the TCMH Healthcare Foundation.

The endowed Dr. Joe L. and Judith T. Spears Memorial Scholarship Fund awarded one $1,000 scholarship to Kelsey Drone of Mountain Grove.

Drone is a Cabool High School graduate. This fall Drone is attending Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville, IL where she plans to pursue a degree in biological science as part of a pre-medical school program. Drone has also volunteered at TCMH as a Youth Ambassador.

Stephanie Gentry of Willow Springs received the $500 Dr. Eugene Charles Honeywell Memorial Scholarship, chosen by the Healthcare Foundation directors and Carol Honeywell, the widow of Dr. Eugene Honeywell.

A full-time licensed practical nurse in the intensive care department at TCMH, Gentry is pursuing an associate’s degree in nursing through the LPN to registered nurse bridge program at Texas County Technical College.

“Educational scholarships are one of the focus areas of the TCMH Healthcare Foundation,” Jay Gentry, Healthcare Foundation director, said.

The Healthcare Foundation holds an annual golf tournament to raise funds for educational scholarships for area students. The Healthcare Foundation has received $3,000 in matching funds from Healthcare Services Group Foundation (HSGCF).

The HSGCF program provides matching financial assistance to students awarded financial assistance by hospitals that are members of the Healthcare Services Association and insured by the Missouri Hospital Plan. Specifically, HSGCF matches scholarships or healthcare related tuition reimbursement provided by non-profit member hospitals throughout Missouri. This scholarship program is designed to facilitate, attract, and retain healthcare providers in Missouri.

“The matching funds from HSGCF enable us to boost the amount of our fall scholarship,” Gentry said. “Every dollar helps these area students with their educational costs, and we’re grateful for the additional funds to award.”

The Healthcare Foundation awards educational scholarships for students pursuing additional higher education each spring and fall. With the recent scholarship awards, the Foundation has awarded $73,500 in scholarships to area students since the program began in 2007.

“The Healthcare Foundation administers the scholarships for the endowed funds, and the scholarships also go to employees working in healthcare-related fields in Texas County and surrounding areas,” Gentry said.

According to Gentry, the Healthcare Foundation intends to award two more $1,000 scholarships prior to the spring school semester in 2017. The Foundation will accept applications for the spring scholarships beginning in November.
Applications for the scholarships are available through the Foundation or on the TCMH website.

# # #

For additional information, contact:
Joleen Senter Durham, Director of Public Relations/Marketing
Texas County Memorial Hospital
Phone: 417/967-1258
Fax: 417/967-1291
joleen@tcmh.org

Annual Golf Tournament Raises $18,100 for Local Charity

Posted on June 14, 2016June 16, 2016 by admin

Houston, MO— The Texas County Memorial Hospital Healthcare Foundation raised $18,100 in cash and non-cash gifts at the Eleventh Annual Charitable Golf Tournament at Oakwood Golf Course in Houston on Sat., June 11.

Thirty-four teams participated in the 18-hole two-person scramble which was co-sponsored by The Missouri Foundation for Health, the corporate underwriter for the event.

The tournament had tee times at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. with prizes awarded to the top three teams in four categories—Championship Flight; A-Flight; B-Flight and C-Flight. With a hole-in-one on hole five at the course, golfers had the opportunity to win 2016 Riverside travel trailer sponsored by Wehr RV of Mountain Grove.

Winners of the Championship Flight were Jeff Williams and Richard Williams who shot a 59, followed by Jon Williams and Jason Rowden with a 60 for second place and Daniel Black and Jason Bass with a score of 61 in third place.

A-Flight winners were Trent Jones and Shelby Gray in first place with a 65, followed by Justin Brown and John Thomas in second with a 66, and third place winners, Missouri State Representative Shawn Rhoads and Len Jones with a 67.

Winners of the B-Flight were Greg Smith and Jimbo Blackwell with a 69. Tiebreaker rules were enforced for teams shooting the same score, so also with a 69 but finishing second were Gary Lee and Bill Green. Jasper Warren and Chris Keefer, with a 70, came in third.

C-Flight winners were Ralph Pennington and Tanner Carter with a 74. Larry and Angie Barton shot a 74 for second place, and Scott Crump and Chuck Hicks finished third with a 75.

First and second place winners in all flights received cash prizes and trophies. Third place winners in all flights received a cash prize.

Donna Jones and Edgar Scantlin were the women’s and men’s longest putt contest winners.

Men’s and women’s longest drive winners were Cory Clark and Angie Barton.

A “Vegas Par 3” closest to the pin contest was hosted and sponsored by Dr. Jim Perry, OD. Donna Jones and Edgar Scantlin also won the contest.

“The Big Advantage” on the fourth hole allowed golfers to move up within 150 yards of the putting green and was sponsored by Justin Shelby of State Farm Insurance in Houston. The game could reduce golf scores and included a closest to the pin contest. Zach Kuczik and Richard Williams were the winners of “The Big Advantage”.

Jay Gentry, TCMH Healthcare Foundation director, indicated that the funds generated by the golf tournament will be used to fund scholarships for healthcare related educational fields and to provide resources for capital projects.

“We filled almost all of the available team slots, and we received numerous sponsorships from individuals and businesses for the tournament,” Gentry said. “Both factors help make a great tournament.”

Gentry noted that the tournament also received corporate sponsorships from Emergency Medical Care, LLC and USA Radiology Management and support from many other businesses.

“The sponsorships and support allow us to put on a tournament with a lot of amenities for the participants,” Gentry said. He also thanked the numerous volunteers and the staff at Oakwood for their time and efforts on behalf of the Foundation’s tournament.

“Some of our winners also donated their winnings back to the Foundation, which we greatly appreciate,” Gentry said. “The Foundation is a local charity and all of the money we receive for the Foundation will remain in the county.”

The TCMH Healthcare Foundation is the non-profit organization with a mission to ensure the quality of healthcare services for children, women, and men at Texas County Memorial Hospital. Funding for the Foundation comes from grateful patients and their families, community members and groups, and businesses that value healthcare in our area. A board of community leaders from across the county directs the TCMH Healthcare Foundation and the funds held by the Foundation.

“Once again, this tournament has been very successful for the Healthcare Foundation,” Gentry said.

The TCMH Healthcare Foundation plans to hold the golf tournament fundraiser again in 2017.

# # #

For additional information, contact:

Joleen Senter Durham, Director of Public Relations/Marketing

Texas County Memorial Hospital

Phone: 417/967-1258

Fax: 417/967-1291

joleen@tcmh.org

TCMH Healthcare Foundation Awards Scholarships

Posted on February 12, 2016February 12, 2016 by admin

The Texas County Memorial Hospital Healthcare Foundation has awarded two $1,000 scholarships to area students to assist with their educational costs for the 2016 spring school semester.

Receiving $1,000 scholarships from the TCMH Healthcare Foundation were Angela Watkins of Rolla and Ashley Collins of Pomona. The recipients were chosen among several applicants by members of the Healthcare Foundation board of directors.

Collins is a student at Missouri State University-West Plains campus, and she’s pursuing an associate’s degree in nursing. Collins is a licensed practical nurse in the medical surgical and intensive care departments at TCMH.

This is the first time both recipients have received a scholarships from the Healthcare Foundation.

Complete scholarship information and the scholarship application is available online at www.tcmhfoundation.org.

For additional information, contact:
Joleen Senter Durham, Director of Public Relations/Marketing
Texas County Memorial Hospital
Phone: 417/967-1258
Fax: 417/967-1291
joleen@tcmh.org

Holiday Giving Program Begins at Hospital

Posted on November 24, 2015November 24, 2015 by admin

The Texas County Memorial Hospital Healthcare Foundation will begin its sixth year of “Celebrate Our Memories” in partnership with TCMH Hospice of Care this week.

Beginning Fri., Nov. 27th a nine-foot Christmas tree in the front lobby of the hospital will hold Christmas ornaments that can be “gifted” and inscribed with the name or a message in honor or in memory of someone special in their life.

The Foundation will divide all funds generated by the program with another TCMH entity—Hospice of Care–so the Christmas program actually benefits two local charitable organizations.

As part of Celebrate Our Memories, those who have “gifted” an ornament will be invited to keep the ornament as a personal keepsake of their memory at the end of the holiday season, after the tree is removed from the hospital’s front lobby.

The ornaments are hung on the tree as they are gifted. Sponsorship of one ornament is $20, and anyone can gift as many ornaments as they wish. Ornaments can be gifted by groups or by individuals. Gifted ornaments can honor a group, an individual such as a teacher, a parent, a friend, or other loved one.

Anyone who gifts an ornament can provide a name or message that will be inscribed on the ornament tag for them.

“It’s the goal of the Foundation and Hospice of Care to have at least 100 ornaments gifted in recognition of someone this holiday season,” Gentry said.

Hospice of Care uses the funding they receive from the program to provide hospice care, supplies and equipment for patients and their families in Texas county and surrounding areas. The Healthcare Foundation uses their portion of the funds in meeting a mission of ensuring the quality of healthcare services for children, women and men at the county hospital.

“I am already soliciting and receiving sponsorships for the Celebrate Our Memories program,” he said. “We hope to have several ornaments on the tree as soon as it goes up.”

Those who wish to gift an ornament should contact Courtney Owens, director of TCMH Hospice of Care at (417) 967-1279 for a form to fill out. Forms are also available at the TCMH Auxiliary Gift Shop located at the front entrance to the hospital and on the Healthcare Foundation’s website, www.tcmhfoundation.org.

A letter of recognition will be sent to those who gift an ornament, and ornaments will be available for pick up at the hospital after the holiday season.

All proceeds from the program will remain in the area and directly impact the local community. Any donation made to the TCMH Healthcare Foundation or to Hospice of Care is tax deductible.

For additional information, contact:

Joleen Senter Durham, Director of Public Relations/Marketing

Texas County Memorial Hospital

Phone: 417/967-1258

Fax: 417/967-1291

joleen@tcmh.org