President's Message - Annual Report

Dear Friends of Saint Francis,

We have something really special at the Saint Francis Foundation…we have more than 4,000 donors who care deeply about this remarkable institution. I have witnessed first-hand what we have been able to accomplish through the collective efforts of our directors, loyal volunteers, foundations, corporations and generous donors.

Because of you, the Foundation experienced another record-breaking year, raising more than $16 million in gifts and pledges, including a $10 million unrestricted pledge from an anonymous donor and a $1 million pledge from our Executive Team.

We are continually blessed with people who recognize how philanthropy plays a hand in everything we do at Saint Francis. Some of our largest gifts this year have enabled us to establish:
• The van Rooy Center for Health Enhancement
• The Arthur and Mariko Byrnes Surgery Pavilion,
• The Connecticut Brain Tumor Alliance Patient Fund
• The Henry Frascadore Rehabilitation Gymnasium

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to these individuals and families whose gifts have a profound effect on the care we provide each and every day.

Our Special Events season was the most successful in the Foundation’s history. MIRACLES XXII, the Hospital’s largest event, not only exceeded its financial goal but was another sellout. The outstanding results of our events allow us to support programs such as Clinical Cancer Research, the OmniVR™ Virtual Rehabilitation System, Nursing Education at Saint Francis and the Connecticut Joint Replacement Institute. Thank you to our entire Events team, including Board Members, Event Chairpersons and Committees, Foundation staff and countless volunteers for making this possible.

A new committee introduced to the Foundation Board this year was the Young Professionals Committee. This committee has been hard at work all year coming up with ways to introduce young professionals to Saint Francis, primarily through Special Events. This year the committee introduced a new event to our portfolio, a comedy night that sold out and introduced many new people to Saint Francis. The dedication of this committee is truly inspiring and I would like to thank them for their amazing efforts this year.

Our primary strategy for Annual and Planned Giving was growing both the Bishop Tierney and Valencia Societies. After two very successful annual appeals and many planned giving cultivation events, our efforts have paid off as we have seen a significant increase in membership for both over last year. Our realized maturities were also at a record high, far exceeding what we had anticipated. We were fortunate to also realize growth in our Third-Party Events of more than 25% from the previous year. We continue to be grateful to those individuals and groups who spend so much time and effort to benefit Saint Francis.

We would also like to express our heartfelt thanks to Paul Pendergast, former President and Chief Development Officer at The Saint Francis Foundation. His dedication, leadership and commitment over the past five years has provided unparalleled growth for the Foundation. Paul’s gifts to Saint Francis are immeasurable, but what we will miss most is Paul’s passion for life, his genuine concern for others, his love for family and friends, and his uncanny ability to bring people together for the common good. Saint Francis will be forever grateful for the contributions Paul has made.

Finally, the success of the Foundation is a clear reflection of the faith and confidence that our community has in our Hospital and its doctors, nurses, staff and administrators. We are proud to be a part of the Saint Francis family and thank all of you who graciously give your endless support to our institution.

God bless,

Lynn B. Rossini
Interim President
and Chief Development Officer