Foundation
THE FUTURE OF THE HOSPICE OF EAST TEXAS IS IMPORTANT
TO THOSE WHO WILL NEED OUR CARE TOMORROW
Private donations and endowments are a significant part of a stable economic future for any nonprofit organization. For The Hospice of East Texas, they are important factors ensuring that our organization will always be able to care for all who need us, regardless of uncertain economic environments and the constant shifts and changes in the healthcare system.
An independent non-profit entity whose sole mission is to support The Hospice of East Texas, The Hospice of East Texas Foundation is the vehicle through which The Hospice of East Texas raises much-needed private funds and manages long-term endowments in support of our extraordinary care.
The separation of these functions from the day-to-day operations of The Hospice of East Texas accomplishes several things. It adds the focused expertise in fundraising, stewardship and fiscal accountability of a separate, volunteer board of directors, chosen for their fiduciary expertise, their dedication to The Hospice of East Texas and their commitment to our community. It also allows the board of directors of The Hospice of East Texas and its staff leadership to concentrate on the excellence of the programs and clinical services provided by Hospice.
WAYS TO GIVE:
For more information please call Betsy Brush, Vice President of Philanthropy, at
or
Kristen Seeber, Donor Stewardship Officer
903-266-3400,
ext. 191
ENDOWMENTS
WHY ENDOWMENTS MATTER
Our annual fundraising allows The Hospice of East Texas to provide significantly more services not covered by Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance. Memorial gifts, annual gifts, grants and Light Up A Life gifts make some of our most important work possible – the chaplaincy program, bereavement services, coordination of our volunteer program and educational outreach to other medical providers. The reality is that many of Hospice of East Texas’ annual funding sources are vulnerable and can change as the political and economic climate change, companies cut costs and individual and foundation giving are influenced by the national economic climate.
Hospice of East Texas believes that the best way to remain effective financial stewards of community resources, to persevere through economic and health care funding fluctuations and more fully realize our mission is to build permanent endowment funds. The Hospice of East Texas Foundation was created to be the repository of endowment funds designated exclusively for the benefit of the programs and services of The Hospice of East Texas.
The endowment funds held in the Hospice of East Texas Foundation generate critical support each year to ensure that Hospice of East Texas can care for all who need us, regardless of their financial situation. These resources also ensure that those programs which have no funding source, such as educational outreach to the community, ongoing staff education and training, bereavement care, and the volunteer and chaplaincy programs will continue to benefit our patients and our communities.
Donors may create a named endowment in the Hospice of East Texas Foundation directed toward their area of special interest or make a contribution to the Hospice of East Texas General Endowment. All endowment funds are invested and managed by the Board of Directors of the Hospice of East Texas Foundation. A portion of the earned income from endowments provides funds in perpetuity that can be focused within any one of Hospice of East Texas’ many services and programs.
CREATING A NAMED ENDOWMENT
An endowment is a permanent fund of support for the purpose you specify. While the principal of your gift is invested and grows over time, distributions from the endowment are made annually based on the spending policy developed by the Board of Directors of the Hospice of East Texas Foundation. These distributions to Hospice of East Texas are designed to provide predictable revenue during volatile markets and to minimize the effects of inflation.
Endowment gifts held at the Hospice of East Texas Foundation are extremely valuable in enhancing the quality of Hospice of East Texas’ patient care. They are also especially important as support to programs that have no predictable funding source, such as educational outreach to the community, bereavement care and the volunteer and chaplaincy programs.
You can immediately establish an endowment through an outright gift using almost any type of asset – cash, securities, real estate or other property that can be liquidated. You may also make a pledge to the endowment to be paid over 3-5 years or fund the endowment through a bequest or other deferred gift. The minimum gift for a named endowment at the Hospice of East Texas Foundation is $25,000.
Creating an endowment allows you the benefit of naming the fund and gives the Hospice of East Texas Foundation an opportunity to recognize your generosity in perpetuity. You may express your regard for Hospice of East Texas or honor a relative, friend, or even a special medical provider.
If you are thinking about creating an endowment to support a specific purpose, we encourage you or your financial advisor to work with the development staff to ensure that your gift will accomplish your goals over time. We invite you to call 903-266-3402 or email Betsy Brush, Vice President of Philanthropy, at bbrush@hospiceofeasttexas.org.
IDEAS FOR NAMED ENDOWMENTS
Fund for Unfunded Care
As a community non-profit, Hospice of East Texas has a long-standing commitment to provide our exceptional care to all who need it, regardless of their financial circumstances. An endowment fund for indigent care will allow Hospice to compensate for the more than $1 million in un-reimbursed care we provide to our patients each year.
Fund for Chaplaincy
Spiritual support is an important component of hospice care. An endowment for the Hospice of East Texas Chaplain Program will ensure that our chaplains can provide spiritual support and comfort to all our patients and their families throughout our twenty three county service area.
Bereavement Program Endowment
Each year, the Hospice of East Texas Bereavement Program offers workshops, counseling and support groups to hundreds of families in East Texas, all free of charge and open to the public. A named endowment will help sustain this important, one-of-a-kind program.
Garden Endowment
The patios, walkways and gardens surrounding HomePlace are sanctuaries of quiet beauty and serenity. A permanent endowment will provide a source of stable funding to ensure their upkeep.
Educational Outreach Endowment
Hospice of East Texas is recognized throughout our region as the center of excellence in end-of-life care. Our physicians, nurses and clinical staff teach best practices to other professionals in a variety of healthcare settings, from hospitals to nursing homes. An educational outreach endowment would ensure that Hospice of East Texas continues to enhance the standard of end-of-life-care in East Texas through teaching and outreach.
ENDOWMENTS AND DESIGNATED FUNDS
The Margo Hirsch Adams Endowment
Margo Adams was a part of Hospice of East Texas since before there was a Hospice of East Texas, and she was connected to our people and our mission for forty years, until her death in December of 2021. Described by those who loved her as “a force of nature”, Margo was known for her commitment to her family, to Temple Beth El, and to the Tyler community where she left her heartprint on many causes she cared deeply about.
In Margo’s honor and memory, the Hospice of East Texas Foundation Board created the Margo Hirsch Adams Endowment Fund at the Foundation. This permanent fund will support the mission of Hospice of East Texas in perpetuity through annual distributions from its investment earnings.
Rabbi Neal Katz remarked at Margo’s memorial service, “Life is indeed precious, not because we have too much time, but because we do not have enough. It is hard to imagine a world without Margo’s vibrancy.”
The John W. Alexander Endowment
In 2015, the family of John Alexander created the John Alexander Endowment at the Hospice of East Texas Foundation in memory of their beloved father and in grateful appreciation for the care Mr. Alexander received as a patient at Hospice of East Texas.
Distributions from the John W. Alexander Fund are designated for unfunded care at HomePlace, Hospice of East Texas’ inpatient facility.
The Paula Hudson Bates Endowment
The Paula Hudson Bates Endowment was created by the Board of Directors of the Hospice of East Texas Foundation in 2022. The endowment honors Paula Bates and celebrates her forty years of consecutive volunteer service in support of the mission of Hospice of East Texas.
Paula describes her connection to Hospice in this way:
“I love Hospice of East Texas. It’s been my love for a very long time. Hospice just changes you. After working alongside the doctors, nurses, chaplains, other volunteers, and seeing the wisdom and skills they impart to patients and families… well it changes you. I am a better person, more compassionate and more comfortable engaging in those tough conversations around death. Most of all, I find joy where I am, and I’m a better version of me.”
“When you help to start something, like I did Hospice of East Texas forty years ago, it’s kind of like your baby, and I’ve held on to it for so long. It’s come full circle for me. Hospice came to our home to help us care for my 93 year old mother in her last months. To watch those nurses aides and nurses and doctors and chaplains care for my precious mother touched me deeply. It was like my family caring for my family.”
The Hospice of East Texas CARE Fund
Since its inception The Hospice of East Texas has been committed to serve every patient and family who needs our extraordinary care, regardless of their financial circumstances or life’s situation. For more than thirty years, this commitment has defined our mission, and motivated our staff, volunteers and donors.
A new giving vehicle, The Hospice of East Texas CARE Fund, will enable Hospice of East Texas to fulfill that commitment, now and in the future. A specially designated fund at The Hospice of East Texas Foundation, the CARE Fund is a permanent endowment. Designed to grow over time, the fund will return its earnings each year to help cover the cost of hospice services for those patients who have no payor source for their care.
The Hospice of East Texas CARE Fund, created by the Board of Directors of The Hospice of East Texas Foundation, was seeded with the estate gifts of two extraordinary women, Trudy Richardson (Left) and Estha Nowlin (Right).
The Matt Clapp Fund
The Matt Clapp Fund at the Hospice of East Texas Foundation was created in honor and memory of Matt Clapp. A cattle rancher and the Founder and Summer Camp Director of Rockin’ C Ranch, Matt had a deep love for all children. The Christian camp he founded gave him the opportunity to share the love of God and teach children to build strong character and work ethic.
Matt lived his life in service to God and others and showed true grit by his hard work and his 15-year battle with Parkinson’s disease.
The Matt Clapp Fund was created with a generous gift from Matt’s life-long friend and fellow classmate of the Robert E. Lee High School Class of 1969, John Muse. Additional contributions have been made by friends and family. The Fund is designated to help cover the cost of care at HomePlace. Additional contributions to the Matt Clapp Fund are welcome.
Keith Frazier, M.D. Endowment for Pediatric Hospice Care
Keith Frazier was a good man and a good physician.
Board certified in Pediatrics, Internal Medicine and Hospice and Palliative Care, Keith served at Trinity Mother Frances Health System, at the Smith County Public Health District, and at Kijabe Hospital in Kijabe, Kenya. In 2006 he began his work with Hospice of East Texas, where he was instrumental in developing the pediatric hospice program and was one of the founding medical directors of Texas Palliative Care.
Though he held impressive academic and board credentials, Keith saw his professional life as more than a medical practice – it was a ministry. In all that he was and all that he did, Keith was a living example of a man of faith. All who knew Keith Frazier and had the privilege of working with him were inspired by his gentle ways, his humility and his genuine concern for each person with whom he came in contact.
As his wife, Terri, shared at his funeral, “Keith was never a man to make much of himself, but always made much of his God.” He faced his illness and death with the certainty that God was in control, and his only desire was that his personal trials somehow caused others to turn to the faith that was the lodestar of his own life.
It is fitting that the first named endowment at The Hospice of East Texas Foundation be created in honor of Dr. Keith Frazier, beloved friend, colleague and mentor.
Proceeds from the endowment will be used each year in support of Hospice of East Texas’ pediatric hospice program, providing comfort and support to families facing the death of a child. Caring for the smallest of hospice patients was dear to Keith Frazier. Our hope is that this small tribute will uplift the example of a good man and a good physician whose legacy is his life as an exemplary servant to his God.
The Hospice of East Texas Foundation welcomes additional donations to the Keith Frazier M.D. Endowment for Pediatric Hospice Care. For information, contact Betsy Brush, The Hospice of East Texas Foundation, at 903-266-3402.
Rick Jett Endowment
The Rick Jett Endowment at the Hospice of East Texas Foundation was created by the Board of Directors of the Hospice of East Texas Foundation in 2022. The endowment honors Rick Jett and celebrates his forty years of service as a volunteer.
Rick Jett had this to say of his involvement with Hospice of East Texas.
My road to Hospice of East Texas in the beginning was not the typical volunteer path. Many volunteers come to Hospice because of witnessing first-hand the wonderful care given to a family member or friend and they want to help. There was no “volunteering” on my part 40 years ago. I was a young accountant working at Henry & Peters CPA Firm. My direct boss was Bobby Henry who was close friends with several of the ladies involved with the Junior League who were instrumental in forming Hospice of East Texas. In this formation process they called Bobby to see if Henry & Peters could provide accounting services for the new entity. Their funds were limited, and they needed these services donated. Bobby called me into his office and said to go over to the Junior League office and meet with them, set up a set of books, set up whatever accounting systems they needed, and then help them until they could get established. I had no idea what the word “hospice” even meant! But I did what I was told and kept their books and records and helped them get an accounting system in place. I also learned what they did. I became a believer in the mission. I was amazed at how the community reacted to this little organization. Hospital systems that could not agree with each other on anything, worked together to help Hospice of East Texas. Doctor groups that were in competition with each other worked together to help insure Hospice thrived. The entire community wanted Hospice of East Texas to succeed. By the time the organization grew and was able to hire personnel to maintain its own accounting records, I was hooked and Hospice of East Texas became part of my life.
Accounting, finance and the business side of the organization are the areas that I have worked in the most over the last 40 years, but what matters to me the most is the care Hospice of East Texas gives families. As a volunteer, I want to work to make sure Hospice of East Texas has the very best people, the best medicine, the best equipment and the best facilities so that when that call comes in, Hospice can confidently say (as it has for the last 40 years) YES, you can be assured your loved one will be taken care of.
The apostle Paul writes in his letter to the Colossian Church “to clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience”. That is exactly what Hospice of East Texas does each and every day. And that is why I want to volunteer as long as the organization will have me.
The Ann Minton Lake Endowment
The Ann Minton Lake Endowment was created to honor and remember Ann Minton Lake, long-time volunteer, supporter, board member and friend to Hospice of East Texas.
For almost four decades, Ann served the mission of Hospice of East Texas in many capacities. In the very earliest days, Ann was a volunteer assigned by the Junior League of Tyler to work as Hospice’s bookkeeper. Later, as a Board member and Board Chair Ann gave her wisdom, experience and heart to the mission. She was always appreciated for her wise counsel, her clear thinking and her ability to balance her heart for Hospice with attention to the bottom line.
The Ann Minton Lake Endowment is an unrestricted endowment, allowing its disbursements to be used in the area of greatest need.
The Donna Lassiter Endowment
A commitment to giving was one of the founding values of Engineering, Procurement and Construction, Inc. (EPC). When Charles Lassiter, a partner in the firm, decided to retire, his fellow founding partner, Jon Jasper and EPC honored him, at his request, with a significant gift to Hospice of East Texas in memory of his wife, Donna, who had been a Hospice patient.
A portion of the gift was used to renovate the Genecov Courtyard garden at HomePlace, and the remainder of the gift created the Donna Lassiter Endowment at the Hospice of East Texas Foundation. Designated for general purposes, distributions from the endowment are given to Hospice of East Texas each year to be used in areas of greatest need.
The commitment of EPC to “the busines of giving” is evidenced every day in the beautiful courtyard garden. Donna Lassiter’s name and memory will live on in the endowment that bears her name, benefiting patients and families for years to come.
The Bobbie and Mel Lovelady Fund
With a lead gift from Pam and Thomas Smith and contributions from scores of friends and colleagues, the Bobbie and Mel Lovelady Fund was established at the Hospice of East Texas Foundation in 2015.
Searching for a way to honor Mel on his retirement, his colleague and friend, Thomas, asked Mel about causes he considered closet to his heart. Mel identified two passions that were of primary importance to his family: hospice care and care for persons with dementia. Mel served several terms on the Hospice of East Texas Board of Directors and Hospice cared for the Loveladys’ beloved daughter, Rebecca Lovelady Craft, in her final days. Care for persons with dementia was close to Mel’s heart as well because Bobbie struggled with the disease for many years.
Distributions from the Bobbie and Mel Lovelady Fund at the Hospice of East Texas Foundation fund programs at Hospice which provide care to dementia patients at the end of their lives and support to those who are caring for them.
The Carmen Dailey Richburg Endowment
The Carmen Dailey Richburg Endowment at the Hospice of East Texas Foundation was established in 2020 by Mrs. Richburg’s son, Rustin Richburg, with contributions from her family and friends.
Born and raised in Grapeland, Texas, Mrs. Richburg made her home and raised her family in the same community for her entire life. She was known for her pride in her community, especially for the many ways she supported the Grapeland youth. She was also known for her pride in her family, her marriage of 54 years and the way she deeply loved her husband, sons and her extended family.
“Our mother taught us the special gift of helping others,” said Rustin Richburg. “Our family experienced unconditional love, support and kindness from everyone at Hospice of East Texas. Establishing an endowment in our mother’s name is a way for us to remember our mother’s legacy, to help others and to pay tribute to the beautiful people that were so very kind to us.”
“Mother always carried a special sparkle with her,” said Rustin, “and her sparkle will always be with us.”
Distributions from the Carmen Daily Richburg Endowment are unrestricted, to be used in the area of greatest need by Hospice of East Texas
D’Anna Poole Wick Endowment
D’Anna Poole Wick was a civic leader and active volunteer who served the Tyler community in many ways. A nurse by education and training, and the wife of a physician, Dr. Paul Wick, D’Anna had a special affinity for nonprofits in the healthcare sphere. She was active in the Smith County Medical Society Alliance, volunteered and served in leadership positions for the American Cancer Society, the Mental Health Association, the Alzheimer’s Alliance of Smith County, PATH and many other organizations.
In the early 80s, after serving as the President of the Junior League of Tyler, D’Anna was asked by them to help organize a hospice to serve East Texas. She laughingly told everyone she didn’t know anything about hospice, but she was up for a challenge. After a year of research, fundraising and organizing, Hospice of East Texas was chartered, and D’Anna became its first CEO. After her tenure as a staff member, she returned through the years to serve on the board and as Board Chair. It is no exaggeration to say that D’Anna Wick was among those who laid the firm foundation for Hospice of East Texas and who helped shepherd its growth and success through the next three decades.
The D’Anna Poole Wick Endowment was established by contributions from the Wick family in 2019 in memory of D’Anna and in recognition of what Hospice of East Texas meant to her and to her family. The Smith County Medical Society Alliance also made a significant contribution to the fund in memory of D’Anna. Distributions from the D’Anna Poole Wick Endowment Fund will support the community outreach and volunteer efforts of Hospice of East Texas, in recognition of D’Anna’s lifelong commitment to volunteerism.
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