Katrina Wellman

Blessing Foundation Inc

"Miracle" leads to commitment of giving

Read on to learn why Katrina Wellman supports the Blessing Foundation
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Her father fought cancer. Her husband survived cardiac arrest.

Katrina felt blessed and wanted to give back.

Katrina Wellman thought she was losing the love of her life.

Just days before their 25th wedding anniversary, her husband, David, was in the cath lab at Blessing Hospital’s Heart and Vascular Center when his heart stopped.

After a 45-minute resuscitation, the medical team brought him back.

Katrina calls it a miracle.

Just the year before, her father, Gordon Clendenny, was diagnosed with colon cancer and got a clean bill of health after treatment.

She and her family had been through so much. Still, she felt blessed.

Starr Gold

“I have so much to be grateful for. I wondered, ‘How do I give back?’”

That’s when Katrina started connecting the dots and discovered that the Blessing Foundation helps meet the needs of heart patients, cancer patients, and many others who are struggling during a medical crisis.

“I don’t know that there’s anything worse than people being sick and not able to get the care that they need,” she said.

The Foundation uses donations to buy innovative, lifesaving equipment to enhance patient care. It also provides grants to patients who have exhausted all other community resources. Many put their health and recovery at risk because of financial difficulties. Help comes in many forms – from rent, utilities, and transportation assistance to medical supplies and medication.

The Wellmans knew that was a cause they could get behind.

As owners of CellTech Electronics, they also wanted to get their employees involved, and they did it in a fun and easy way. They gave them the option to wear jeans to the office on Fridays for a $5 donation to the Blessing Foundation.

Jeans Day for CellTech employees led to a culture of giving.

Associates can now wear jeans to work every day, so there’s no longer that incentive to give to the Blessing Foundation on Fridays. But, Katrina says, they still do.

“We have $400 to $500 a month coming from our associates,” she said. “It melts my heart.” 

A big motivator: The money stays right here in the community and 100 percent goes straight to those in need – not to overhead or administrative costs.

Employees get regular updates from Ann Awerkamp Dickson, the Foundation’s administrative director, who shares specific examples of how their generosity has made an impact on other people’s lives.

The funds raised at CellTech are split between the Cancer Center and the Heart and Vascular Center, but Katrina encourages people to donate to whatever Blessing Foundation fund is most meaningful for them.

She emphasizes the importance of counting one’s blessings, appreciating time with loved ones, and offering a helping hand when others are in need.

“It’s about action,” Katrina says. “It’s about the action that you can take. The need is there. And it’s simple to give.”

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