It’s time for our annual Above and Beyond giving campaign, which kicks off on Monday, Sept. 1. For more than 40 years, Baptist Foundation has been making a difference in the lives of our patients and their families, extending our mission beyond providing exceptional health care to offering resources and support services. I’m honored to share with you how Baptist Memorial Health Care Foundation has most recently supported the communities we serve and our team members.
First, I’m happy to share you’ll see a new giving option called “A Healthier Tomorrow” on the Above and Beyond donation form. You may have heard about this initiative during the Baptist Leadership Development Intensive meeting or a recent Town Hall. Through this five-year $20 million project, we are raising funds for five areas at Baptist Health Sciences University — capital, equipment, scholarships, research and an endowment for current and future programming. Thanks to the generosity of donors, more than $17.5 million has been raised so far. If you choose to support this project, you can help your local community through the creation of scholarship opportunities for students who want to join the health care field and, hopefully, we’ll get to welcome many of them to the Baptist team.
Baptist Foundation supports our mission of healing, preaching and teaching in many other ways, including providing funding for hospital and community wellness initiatives, equipment for hospitals and assistance for the homeless through our free clinic, Baptist Operation Outreach.
In 2024, Baptist Foundation assisted 199 Baptist Memorial Hospital patients through various funds and 125 Baptist team members through the Employee Emergency Assistance Fund. With your help, Baptist Foundation also provided more than 1,600 rides for Baptist Cancer Center patients needing transportation assistance and 8,580 free counseling sessions at Baptist Centers for Good Grief. More than 50 hospice patients at Baptist Reynolds Hospice House received assistance as well.
Baptist Health Sciences University awarded 190 scholarships to students, and the Friends of Nursing Fund helped 46 nurses gain certifications and funded 13 nursing education workshops, conferences and review courses. Baptist Foundation helped more than 40 Baptist Cancer Center patients who needed financial assistance for medication, home medical devices, transportation and other necessities. Community members and patients had access to cancer survivorship support classes and cancer support groups.
All of this has been possible because of the financial support given to Baptist Foundation. Let’s lend a hand to ensure these great things keep happening. Please consider visiting bmhgiving.org/above to support the Above and Beyond campaign by Tuesday, Sept. 30.
You can direct your donation to the causes that mean the most to you by selecting the fund or entity you wish to support. You may also choose how you want to give — a one-time payroll deduction, a recurring payroll deduction or a PTO donation.
Please note NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital and Mississippi Baptist Medical Center will host their own foundation campaigns, and on-site team members will have an opportunity to support them at that time.
Every single donation, no matter the amount, allows Baptist to continue our mission of caring. Thank you for giving from the heart.
