Organized in 1974 as a separate tax-exempt 501(c)(3) corporation to advance the mission of the Health Center, the Saint John’s Health Center Foundation is governed by an all volunteer Board of Trustees who bring their leadership skills to ensure that Saint John’s Health Center is here for their community - now and in the future.
Saint John’s trustees work tirelessly with the Foundation staff to vision, plan, initiate gifts in support of the Health Center’s capital, equipment and programmatic needs in order to carry forward the mission of compassionate care set forth by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth.
A History of Community Partnership
When the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth came west to build Saint John’s, generous neighbors helped these pioneering women purchase the land upon which the Saint John’s Health Center Campus is being developed today. The Saint John’s Health Center Foundation grew out of the original Saint John’s Hospital Guild that was founded in 1947. In those days, fund raising was pursued primarily through social events – and the first “Winter Ball’’ raised $20,000. Today, the Saint John’s Health Center Foundation is a robust non-profit charged with advancing the mission of Saint John’s Health Center by identifying gifts for capital projects, programs and community outreach. It is building an endowment so that the Health Center will be there for future generations.
The Foundation is fortunate to have two very special support groups to help keep Saint John’s strong. The Irene Dunne Guild – named after the legendary film star who was the third president of the original organization – carries forward her torch with its volunteer projects and fund raising initiatives such as the Caritas Gala, Think Pink for Women and the Patron Drive. Members of NexGen, the Next Generation of hospital leadership, serve as good will ambassadors for Saint John’s and raise support for maternal and child health.
Thanks to support for the Flora L. Thornton Community Health Education Program at Saint John’s, thousands of lives have been changed. In partnership with Santa Monica City Cable, the Jewish Journal of Los Angeles and the Tidings newspaper, Saint John’s physicians volunteer their time to share medical information with the community. LA Magazine partners with Saint John’s to produce its award winning health quarterly: Saint John’s Magazine.
Saint John’s supports community programs that touch the lives of underserved families throughout greater Los Angeles. The Health Center partners with the Venice Family Clinic, St. Joseph’s Center, Ocean Park Community Center, Westside Health Coalition, WISE Senior Services, the Center for Healthy Aging, Saint John’s Child and Family Development Center, Westside Shelter and Hunger Coalition, Westside Mental Health Network, Westside Domestic Violence Network, Westside Family Health Center, Santa Monica Child Care Task Force, Lifelong Learning Community Partnership, the Serra Project, the Interfaith Initiative for Wellness, Senior TLC, and Santa Monica/Malibu Unified School District, to name a few.
Over 250 Saint John's volunteers support Saint John’s mission by donating countless hours of time and talent in 45 departments throughout the Health Center. Innovative programs such as the “Angels of the ER” and the “Paula Kent Meehan Pawsitive Pet Therapy Program” bring comfort to patients and their families.
With the help of many wonderful friends, Saint John’s is rebuilding its entire campus. Through its Challenge to Lead campaign, Saint John’s is adding inpatient rooms to the Chan Soon-Shiong Center for Life Sciences and additional surgery suites and cath labs to the Howard Keck Diagnostic & Treatment Center. Opening in 2009, the Keck Center will be the new home of the McAlister Women’s Health Center featuring expansion of the Irene Dunne Guild NICU in the Maria Shriver Nursery and a new unit to care for women of all ages. Facilities for translational research, education and wellness, and outpatient services are also planned.
In these exciting times, The Saint John’s Health Center Foundation is fortunate to have friends such as you to support its mission. With your gift, we can – in the words of Mother Xavier Ross who founded the order of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth that built Saint John’s - “look forward to the good that is yet to be!”