Vermont Business Magazine Members of the Bennington Lodge 567 donated a portion of their 150th anniversary grant to Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, a part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC). The donation amount, $250, was chosen to reflect both organizations’ years of existence.
“It seems fitting that, since the Elks as a national organization has just completed its 150th year celebrations and the hospital its 100th year, that we donate $250,” wrote Kelly Kervan, Bennington Elks member and the grant’s administrator, in the letter sharing the news of the gift with the hospital’s SVHC Foundation.
Carson Thurber, interim director of the SVHC Foundation (left), visited the Elks Lodge 567 to thank Don Roy, exalted ruler (right) and Elks members for their donation in support of the health of Bennington and its surrounding communities.
The 150th Anniversary Grant comes from the Elks National Foundation, which was established in 1928 to serve others. Some of the 115-year-old Bennington Lodge’s original members were among the fund’s founding contributors.
“They would be proud that the earnings off their original gifts were stewarded in such a way that it directly helped organizations like yours in our community,” Kervan wrote.
“We are delighted by this contribution by our local Elks,” said Leslie Keefe, the vice president for Corporate Development at SVHC. “We identify with their rich history in the community and their dedicated service to others, and we will put their generous gift to meaningful use in service of patients.”
About SVHC:
Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) is a comprehensive, preeminent, health care system providing exceptional, convenient, and affordable care to the communities of Bennington and Windham Counties of Vermont, eastern Rensselaer and Washington Counties of New York, and northern Berkshire County in Massachusetts. SVHC includes Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center, the Centers for Living and Rehabilitation, and the SVHC Foundation. SVMC includes 25 primary and specialty care practices. For more information, visit svhealthcare.org.
Source: Bennington, VT—May 1, 2019—SVHC