Windham Hospital Foundation Launches a Special Fund Gina’s Friends
WILLIMANTIC, CT, May, 5, 2010– In this world of excess consumerism more and more individuals are making gifts to charity in place of gift giving. As Mother’s Day approaches, the Windham Hospital Foundation suggests that a gift to Gina’s Friends, a new Foundation fund, will go a long way toward honoring a woman in one’s life, while providing essential healthcare services to women from all walks of life.
Gina Barreca and her husband, Michael Meyer, of Storrs, have made a founding gift to the Windham Hospital Foundation to help educate people about the healthcare needs of women in our community.
"My mother and most of her sisters died far too young, in part because they didn't have access to the kind of diagnostic and preventative health care everyone needs and deserves. With Gina's Friends at Windham Hospital, Michael and I are honoring the women who raised us, taught us to read, taught us to laugh, and taught us to care for those around us. I hope everyone will see that, from the smallest donation to the most generous gift, we can all celebrate women's lives and make them better,” said Barreca.
Barreca is a women’s humorist, writer, speaker and professor of English at the University of Connecticut. She has established this special fund at the Windham Hospital Foundation to assist women who cannot afford to obtain life-saving diagnostic tests because they fall through the cracks of state and/or federal healthcare programs; because they lack adequate insurance; or because they have no insurance at all. She and her husband, Michael Meyer, have experienced first-hand the outstanding care at Windham Hospital and want others to obtain the same care. Their gift to the Windham Hospital Foundation, along with others from the community, will assist women for generations to come.
Women of all ages benefit from programs offered by Windham Hospital in our schools, clinics, hospital- based programs, outpatient services, and community settings. These community benefit programs are often those that have inadequate funding but are helping women to access the care they need. These programs also teach preventive measures to keep moms and their babies healthy, bring peer groups together to gain support and understanding, and inspire women to take steps to improve their health status and live longer, healthier lives.
“We are honored and thrilled that Gina and Michael have demonstrated their commitment to the Hospital and to women in our region through this major gift, “commented Mona Friedland, Executive Director of the Windham Hospital Foundation.
Invitations have been sent to more than 1500 women in the community to join Gina’s Friends by honoring women in their lives. To receive an invitation or learn more about the fund, go to
www.windhamhospital.org/ginasfriends.
 |