The Monument Health Foundation provides a link between Monument Health and the communities the organization serves. The Foundation stewards funds for specific causes, allowing community members to donate to the causes that are close to their heart. When a hospital or clinic within Monument Health needs assistance in acquiring new equipment, education materials or anything else supported by a Foundation fund, they can apply to receive support.
Caring for the whole person
The Foundation supports big projects like the Cancer Care Institute Expansion and purchasing state-of-the-art medical equipment needed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), and smaller, more personalized programs also receive much needed support. For example, pediatric patients at the Spearfish Clinic receive a new book after every visit, and patients at the Family Medicine Residency Clinic in Rapid City have access to a food pantry located at the clinic. These projects, and many more like them, receive funding from the Foundation.
Foundation Director Angie Kliewer has been at Monument Health for 26 years. She has watched the organization grow from a small fundraising department to a full-fledged foundation. More importantly, she has seen the Foundation’s impact throughout communities in the Black Hills.
“It may seem like we only buy big medical equipment, but we’re really able to listen to all our departments and figure out ways to help them. We also help everybody in our community find a way to give to causes that they’re really passionate about,” Angie said.
There are many projects and needs throughout Monument Health with funds that community members can donate to. They include the Children’s Miracle Network, the Cancer Care Institute Expansion project and Hospice Services, along with spiritual services, medical student scholarships, room furnishings and education materials. Through these funds, the Monument Health Foundation supports patients, caregivers and the community.
A large part of the Monument Health Foundation’s fundraising happens during events. Successful events include the Hospice Ball, the Tee it Up Fore Cancer golf tournament and the CMN Mediathon.
Starting in 2022, the Foundation is partnering with Evergreen Media and HomeSlice Media Group in Rapid City to bring Raw Couture back to the stage.
Raw Couture began in 2017 as a way for the team at Evergreen Media to put their creative energy into a community fundraiser. For this high-energy, abstract fashion show, local businesses create a costume using materials from their business and model it as part of a runway show. Monument Health has partnered with Raw Couture since its inception, and now the Foundation will take a more active role in producing the event.
Meghan Rose at Evergreen Media is excited for this new chapter. “The chance to partner with Monument Health and HomeSlice Media Group, who have been with us from the start, is a true gift,” she said. “I look forward to watching it grow and continue to raise impactful funds for the Monument Health Foundation in years to come.”
Help in unexpected places
Much of the Foundation’s work serves those in Monument Health’s care. The Foundation also has funds to support caregivers and staff in need. Funds are set aside that allow caregivers to help one another in times of need, such as unforeseen medical expenses or losing their home in a natural disaster.
“When the pandemic started, we cared for those with COVID-19, while maintaining the administration of standard health care, from treating heart attacks to delivering babies. Fortunately, we had community members step up and ask how they could help our caregivers,” Angie said. “They donated things like personal protective equipment when it wasn’t available, and the Foundation helped facilitate those donations to help take care of our caregivers.”
The Foundation also manages a fund called the Greatest Need, which allows community members to simply donate to a specific area’s greatest needs. It allows the Foundation to help in ways that may be unexpected yet vitally important to providing world class care across Monument Health.
“There are times people will say ‘use this for what you need the most,’ so we reserve those funds in the Greatest Need fund. Then if there’s something a department needs, and we don’t have a fund specifically for it, we can use the Greatest Need fund to make sure they get what they need,” Angie explained.
When hospitals unexpectedly needed to purchase ventilators and other equipment in the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, they turned to the Greatest Need fund. Because the Foundation already had the funds available, hospitals were able to purchase lifesaving equipment when it was needed without worrying about reallocating budgets or performing additional fundraising amid a public health crisis.
Each year the Monument Health Foundation helps purchase equipment and fund programs for the benefit of patients. In the past year, the Foundation assisted with funding over $732,000 requests within Monument Health for specialty items in many different departments. For events that benefit the Monument Health Foundation, visit monument.health/events.
