Hurricane Sandy Receives NWI Donations

Franciscan Physicians Hospital employees Mary Beth Kosiba, Kari Wall and Robin Rossner hit the road Monday, November 19 in a Uhaul/trailer combination filled with donations and equally important, hope, for victims of Hurricane Sandy.

Hospital employees head out with the Uhaul/trailer
combination, both filled with donations.

A multi-facility collection of needed items brought in massive donations from canned goods and pet food to diapers and hand sanitizer. At the donations close, rental of a larger trailer was required to transfer the seemingly endless items.

"Over eight million people were affected by Sandy," says Kosiba, manager of the hospitals Sleep Disorders Center. "The basics we take for granted, they now need to survive. We can't thank the public and employees enough for their generosity."

Traveling together, Kosiba, Wall and Rossner headed to St. Vincent DePaul, a non-profit assistance organization located in Cincinnati, Ohio, where items were transferred and taken to victims of Hurricane Sandy.

Donations filled the Uhaul from floor
to ceiling.

Natalie Reisen, community outreach specialist with Franciscan Physicians Hospital, organized the collection. 

"In the aftermath we saw lots of people pulling together," says Reisen. "The worst is over; now we can help those affected get their lives back on track."

Rossner, who works at the Sleep Disorders Center, was moved by the trip. 

"The trip was a wake up call for me. Next time I want to complain or feel that I need something, I can think about those people who are sleeping on cardboard boxes, barely able to provide for themselves without the essential resources to do so."

Donations weren't the only provision given by by hospital employees and donors. Lori Postma, PACU charge nurse at Franciscan Physicians Hospital, attended first-hand to help those in need.

Postma, who departed November 9th, assisted victims in conjunction with the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.

"I appreciate all that the hospital does to help it's employees flourish professionally and personally," states Postma. "It has always been important for me to earn my right to breathe and I thank the hospital for allowing me to follow my own mission."

Franciscan Physicians Hospital Cares for Kids

MUNSTER | Dec. 19 marked the last St. Joseph’s Carmelite Home fundraising luncheon at Franciscan Physicians Hospital in 2011. Luncheons were held throughout the month of December.

As part of annual support efforts for the children, hospital employees raised $4,000, with all proceeds going to the home. Contributions came from luncheons, payroll deductions and donations.

“My staff is always very considerate towards the children of the Carmelite Home. Supporting them has been a part of our facility’s mission for some time, but we all see the importance now more than ever with the budget crisis they’re facing,” says hospital president Barb Greene.

Physicians and staff generally give presents at Christmas time, but with state funding cuts leaving the home in desperation, a collection was taken instead.

Sister Maria Giuseppe, provincial superior of the Carmelite Home, states “funding cuts have been our biggest struggle over the last year. State funding covers about 70% of our costs, which leaves quite a gap in providing for the children we care for.”

July 2, 2013, will mark the one hundred year anniversary of the E. Chicago Carmelite Home location. Further budget cuts are anticipated in the coming year.

“We cannot express our appreciation to Franciscan Physicians Hospital and the Franciscan Alliance for caring about our children in this great time of need,” says Sr. Giuseppe. “We thank them for allowing us to continue Christ’s ministry in our community.”

To support the Carmelite Home in E. Chicago, send a donation to 4840 Grasselli St., E. Chicago, IN, 46312, or come by in person.

Further support to the Carmelite Home and the community at large will continue to come from Franciscan Physicians Hospital, now a wholly owned, not-for-profit member of the Franciscan Alliance. The hospital, located at 701 Superior Ave. in Munster, holds a number of supportive outreach programs throughout the year.

To learn more, visit online at www.franciscanphysicians.org.

Brandy Egnatz, Service Excellence Member, gives the $4,000 check to Sr. Maria Giuseppe

Helping Those Who Help Those In Need

Employees and physicians at Franciscan Physicians Hospital worked to raise $8,050 for the St. Joseph’s Carmelite Home, a residential treatment center for abused, neglected, and abandoned children in East Chicago.

The Carmelite Home recently endured significant state funding cuts, limiting the number of children they are able to care for. This treatment center, which previously took in as many as 105 children, is now caring for only 35. These funding cuts have moved children from the Carmelite Home to foster care throughout the region and have left diminished resources and financial obligations a still prominent struggle.

Janet Rolley, Service Excellence Committee chair,
Sister Maria Giuseppe, Carmelite Home administrator,
and Barb Greene, Franciscan Physicians Hospital president.

Efforts to raise money included week long events like dress down Friday, a Mexican Fiesta, bake sale, department basket raffle, movie basket raffle and breakfast rounding cart. Physician donations were also taken to contribute to the fundraising event.

Barb Greene, president of Franciscan Physicians Hospital, notes that she is proud of her staff and physicians and she is proud to be part of an organization that encourages helping those less fortunate. “My staff all has large hearts and are very generous. They are moved to help those in need. They are genuine people and I am proud of their efforts here. Christ’s ministry continues through the work of their hands.”

Pictured: 7 of the 8 East Chicago Carmelite Home Sisters pose with
Janet Rolley and Barb Greene after receiving the $8,050 check.

The fundraising campaign was headed by the hospital’s Service Excellence Committee. Janet Rolley, chair of the Service Excellence Committee, states “I am very humbled by the generosity of our staff and doctors. They saw a need and gave unselfishly. I am appreciative of the donations businesses made to help us in our efforts to raise funds for the Carmelite Home. Some businesses donated money, others were able to donate items or give us reduced pricing." Special thanks go to the businesses that donated/reduced prices on items for our fundraising efforts.

These businesses include:

• Gus Bock’s Ace Hardware, Dyer
• Accents on 45th
• Albanese Candy
• All That Glitters
• Baum’s Natural Foods
• Butterfingers
• Calumet Bakery
• Costco
• Howard & Sons
• Jewel-Osco
• La Chiquita
• Pepsi Co.
• Schilling Lumber
• Strack & Van Til
• The Charley Horse
• The Great Frame Up
• Typsy Cake
• The Liquor Stop
• Tipsy Cake
• Howard’s Meats

Pictures of the Fundraiser

Left: Hospital employees enjoy a Mexican Fiesta luncheon. All items were bought or donated with all proceeds going toward the cause!

Bake sale items were displayed throughout an afternoon for employees to purchase.

Hospital departments made baskets, which were raffled off on Friday afternoon.

Donating to Those In Need This Season

With Christmas just around the corner and Thanksgiving just behind, it's important to think about those who are less fortunate than us. While so many people have suffered hardship and economic loss over the last year, there are so many more with little or nothing to hang on to.

Our organization, under the guidance of the Franciscan Alliance, works in and throughout the community to help provide for those in need. Our charitable donations go to a variety of programs and provide support to the services of our Franciscan values: Respect for Life, Fidelity to our Mission, Compassionate Concern, Joyful Service and Christian Stewardship.

We rely on the generosity of individuals and organizations throughout Northwest Indiana to help us continue to provide exceptional healthcare to the families in our community and for future generations to come. It's your contribution that provides not only services and provisions to those in need, but hope.

The hope that each person knows they're cared for and loved through Christ. It is his love that is truly reflected by the kindness of individuals like you.

So this season, please give. Whether it is money, time or moral support, give all that you can to ensure that those with less know there's a future ahead.

Please consider a tax-deductible contribution to one of our great organizations that work to provide exceptional healthcare services:

-Franciscan Physicians Hospital
-Saint Margaret Mercy (Hammond and Dyer)
-Saint Anthony Memorial
-Saint Anthony Medical Center

For more information on giving, contact Rob Cummings, Regional Director of Philanthropy, at (219)932-2300 ext. 32554.

There's so much to be thankful for this time of year. Share that appreciation with those around you. From the Physicians and staff at Franciscan Physicians Hospital, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!