Mercy grant program meets community needs

In the latest expression of nearly a decade of generosity, physicians and co-workers at Mercy Clinic raised more than $80,000 through the spring 2012 Force for Good campaign, funding projects this time around for six charities that help children. Grants from the latest round of funding were distributed July 17.

Force for Good, which began in 2003 with a single drive that raised $17,000 for The Kitchen Inc., has to date awarded a total of $1.27 million to charitable organizations that apply for grants.

Mercy Clinic conducts semiannual fundraising drives among its 70 locations, involving 600 physicians, 150 advanced practice providers and 2,000 co-workers.

Doctors play a major role in giving, and co-workers raise money continuously in grassroots efforts that comprise up to 20 percent of the money in each semiannual campaign, said Dr. Teresa Olsen, one of the three program chairpersons.

She cited examples of two fundraising activities at Smith Glynn Callaway, where her office is located. The south-side clinic held a casual Friday that enabled co-workers to wear jeans for a fee, which raised about $2,000, and gift-basket sales that yielded roughly $3,000.

Fundraising levels are somewhat dependent on the economy, Olsen said.

When the recession hit in 2008, donations fell by 29 percent to $110,000, but giving bounced back robustly, up 77 percent to $195,569 in 2011, with annual highs set in 2010 and 2011.

A committee of Mercy Clinic physicians and practice managers sets fundraising goals and awards grants for winter and summer campaigns, said Deanna Robinson, director of business services at Mercy Clinic and another Force for Good committee chairwoman.

The committee has never set a campaign fundraising goal for a lesser amount than previous campaigns, she said.

Shortly before a campaign begins, the committee also selects and announces the grant recipients.

“Our physicians and co-workers always know the identity of the organizations that will be the recipients of our fundraising efforts,” she said. “And that seems to be one of the elements that adds to the energy and the desire to meet our goal for each campaign.”

The Pregnancy Care Center, one of the six organizations that received funds July 17, received $10,000 toward a mobile medical unit that would go into communities, including high school and college campuses, to bring nurses, pregnancy testing, ultrasounds and counseling, primarily to those facing unplanned pregnancies.

Many young people facing an unplanned pregnancy put off seeking services because they are uninsured or underinsured, Pregnancy Care Center Chief Operations Officer Ronn Ramey said.

“As anyone who’s been through a pregnancy realizes, timely adequate care is so critical for a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby,” he added, noting that the center is engaged in a campaign to raise $375,000 to build the unit and provide three years of operating expenses for training, personnel, materials and upkeep.

Another recipient, LifeHouse, received $21,500, about 10 percent of its annual budget, to sustain operations at its local crisis maternity home, said founder and board Chairwoman Sharon Maples. The grant will help fund such expenses as office overhead, residents’ needs and co-payments for residents’ medications. She noted, however, that funds would not be used for staff salaries.

A recent survey suggested roughly 60 homeless pregnant women are living on the streets of Springfield, Maples said. To address that need, LifeHouse is conducting a fundraising campaign to build a new $450,000, 5,400-square-foot facility on property it owns on College Street. It will provide shelter for 14 mothers and their babies, Maples said.

Once the house is built, LifeHouse would apply for state-license as a maternity home, which would lead to state funding for about 80 percent of operating expenses, Maples said, noting that the state recently made donations to LifeHouse eligible for tax credits of up to 50 percent on amounts from $100 to $50,000.