Caring Club
Compassion & Caring at its Finest
Read on to learn how Blessing employees support patients & coworkers through the Caring Club
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Blessing Hospital Pharmacy tech Jennifer Ericson and her husband faced financial struggles after their daughter was born prematurely.
The Blessing Foundation’s Caring Club was there to give them the help they needed.
Like any expectant first-time parents, Matt and Jennifer Ericson were excited about bringing their baby into the world.They just didn’t expect it to be so early.
Jennifer went into premature labor at 24 weeks, and little Freya was born weighing just 1 pound and 4.8 ounces. She was in the neonatal intensive care unit at a Springfield hospital for 8 months.
“It was overwhelming,” Jennifer recalls.
Beyond the stress of worrying about their little girl and the health issues she faced, including multiple surgeries, Matt and Jennifer also were dealing with financial hardships. A Blessing Hospital Pharmacy tech, Jennifer went back to work while Freya was still in the hospital. It was the family’s only income.
“My daughter had surgery and I had to go back to work … it was the worst thing. But I had to pay bills,” Jennifer said
Help Was There
When They Needed It Most
The couple’s financial stress continued after they brought Freya home as she was still on a ventilator and needed regular nursing care.
In fall 2018, just after Freya turned 2, bills were piling up. A car payment was past due, along with a car insurance payment and utility bills. The couple could rarely buy groceries, and had to give up Freya’s nursing care because they could no longer afford it. They couldn’t get second jobs or take on extra hours to help catch up on bills because Freya had chronic lung disease and could not go to day care.
The Caring Club Fund – a Blessing Foundation fund aimed at helping Blessing patients and employees in financial and medical crises – came to the family’s aid and helped get them back on their feet.
“We were very grateful,” Jennifer said.
How the Caring Club Helps
Those In Need
The Caring Club is supported through the generosity of Blessing Health System employees, the community and business donors through an annual fundraising campaign. In 2019, Blessing Employees provided 1,361 gifts totaling $135,414. The community gifted $19,936 for a grand total of $161,030 for the Caring Club.
When no other fund matches the health issues of the patient, the Caring Club fund meets those needs that the patient cannot afford and no other community resource is able to assist. And 100% of each donation goes directly to those in need, providing comfort and peace of mind at a time when they need it most.
A few examples:
- When a mother had to have surgery and was unable to care for her disabled child, Caring Club funds provided two weeks of home care services for the child.
- When Child and Adolescent Psych Service patients had to spend Christmas on the unit, Caring Club funds provided clothing and gifts.
- When a paraplegic patient needed a hospital bed at home, Caring Club funds paid for the bed and sheets.
- Common needs include gas money to help patients get to treatments or to help family members be with their loved ones in their time of need; help with rent, mortgage, food, lodging, or household bills; and assistance with prescriptions, durable medical equipment, and medical bills.
Caring Club Grants
Why Do Blessing Health System Employees Give?
Here’s why three employees give to the Caring Club, in their own words:
Diane Johnson, secretary
Blessed Beginnings/Obstetrics, Blessing Hospital:
“I give to the Caring Club because we never run out of people down on their luck and in need, trying to make ends meet. For whatever reason medical treatment and medication seem to get lost in their daily life. It is nice to know that I work for Blessing, an organization that cares about the less fortunate.”
Dr. Andrew Dunn, Family Medicine,
Blessing Physician Services:
“Unlike most charities, 100 percent of the money donated is made available to patients in need. Anybody at any time could be in this situation and this is a way to ensure that we are taking care of our community. I will continue to support the Caring Club in any way that I can.”
Amy VonderHaar, senior accountant,
Fiscal Services, Blessing Hospital:
“It sincerely warms my heart to know that money I have donated goes directly to families in our own community. I cherish the opportunity to help those that I would otherwise not be able to reach. Knowing that Blessing has the wheels in motion to help those in need makes me very proud to be a Blessing employee and gives me the desire to continually contribute to Blessing’s Caring Club Fund.”
Paying It Forward
Jennifer Ericson is another Blessing employee who contributes to the Caring Club, providing a gift every pay period.
“I make sure I give to the Caring Club every paycheck,” Jennifer says. “I feel an obligation – they were there for us and I am very, very appreciative. I know a couple of people who had to deal with the same thing and I said, ‘You need to ask for help.’ It makes me proud to work for Blessing just because they do that.”
Ann Awerkamp Dickson, administrative director of the Blessing Foundation, says the gifts that employees give during the Caring Club’s annual campaign show compassion and caring at its finest.
“The strongest endorsement a charitable organization can receive is from the support of its own employees,” Dickson said. “It sends a powerful message that, in addition to providing outstanding care, Blessing Health System employees believe in their work enough to donate their hard-earned money. These gifts show that our employees believe so strongly in Blessing’s mission that they are willing to provide their financial support in addition to their skill.”
You Can Make a Difference, Too
The help offered by Blessing employees – even if it’s just $5 a paycheck – is invaluable.
Our employees step up every year to help their patients and co-workers get back on their feet. Please consider a gift to the Blessing Foundation, too. Every day, we see the difference it makes in people’s lives.
With your generous donation, the Blessing Foundation can continue to make true human connections like the one made for Matt and Jennifer Ericson and their beautiful daughter, Freya, who will turn 4 in August.
What is the Blessing Foundation?
Since 1983, the Blessing Foundation has been giving back to the community that has given so much to all of us. The charitable foundation distribute grants, scholarships and financial assistance to individuals and families to help them on their healthcare journeys.
For more information about the Blessing Foundation or to discuss a donation or gift, call (217) 223-8400, ext. 4800, or email us at BlessingFoundation@blessinghealth.org
