February 16, 2004
Genesis Foundation Hosts Crystal Gala
Hospital Fundraising Event Marks 15th Anniversary
Davenport, IA - The 15th, or "Crystal" Anniversary Gala, hosted by the Genesis Health Services Foundation, is set for Saturday, March 13, at the Outing Club in Davenport. Like the brilliant glass that is the symbol of this year's event, the Gala has become a shining example of community charitable hospital support – a total of more than $1 million has been raised through the previous 14 Genesis Foundation Galas.
In keeping with this year's Crystal Anniversary theme, attendees will have a chance to win one of 30 beautiful assorted crystal pieces, with each $10 box of champagne flavored truffles they purchase. The crystal pieces, donated by Holland Jewelers, have a total value of $5,000. Also, lovely cut glass centerpieces, displayed on the dining tables, will be available for a gift of $25, which also will support this year's Gala projects.
Additionally, more than a hundred live and silent auction items, including a guitar autographed by country music superstar Alan Jackson, and lodging packages in destinations like Big Sky, Mont., Telluride, Colo., Napa Valley, Calif., and Orlando and Sarasota, Fla., have been donated by area businesses and individuals. View a listing and description of the "Live" auction items.
The Gala Committee is pledging $50,000 from the event toward scholarships for students pursuing a baccalaureate degree in nursing at area colleges and universities, such as St. Ambrose University, the University of Iowa, Iowa Wesleyan College, Mount Mercy College, Coe College or Clarke College.
The scholarships are awarded as $5,000 forgivable loans, meaning repayment will be waived if the recipients agree to work full-time at Genesis for two years upon completion of their degrees. The scholarship program creates a relationship between the student and the hospital in hopes the relationship will develop into a nursing career at Genesis. It is the third consecutive year Gala funds will be used to address the nationwide shortage of nurses.
Additional money raised through the Gala will also go towards the purchase of a PortalVision computer imaging system for use with the Cancer Center's linear accelerator, a radiation therapy device used to treat tumors. Using PortalVision instead of film, the physician can more accurately position the patient for treatment, reducing the adverse effects of radiation on healthy tissue surrounding the tumor. The system's real-time imaging speeds up treatment by replacing the time-consuming and anxiety-producing process of having to take one or more x-rays of the tumor in order to position the patient properly for the radiation therapy.
"Deciding what projects to support is always a difficult decision because there are a number of health care issues in our community," says Rick Flaksman, M.D., Medical Director of the Genesis Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, who along with his wife, Cindy, is chairing the 2004 Gala Committee. "We believe nursing scholarships are important incentives to attract new nurses into the profession and to Genesis. Additionally, adding technology that improves treatment and eases the anxieties of cancer patients certainly meets the Genesis Medical Center mission of providing compassionate, quality health care to those who need it."
The Genesis Health Services Foundation exists to develop, manage and grant charitable support to meet the health-related needs of the Quad Cities and surrounding communities. Annually, it raises more than $1 million dollars toward community and Genesis Medical Center programs and services. The Foundation's charitable donations have helped fund a variety of services and equipment that improve patient care, ranging from transportation for outpatient rehabilitation patients, to a hospital infant security system to state-of-the-art dialysis machines.
Anyone interested in attending the Gala or making a donation may call the Genesis Health Services Foundation office at 563-421-6865.
