Every gift makes a difference and helps build a healthier community.
Our Approach to Giving
Since 1989, The Foundation of Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital has touched thousands of lives. With your generous support, we have enhanced patient care, funded hospital programs and initiatives and helped create a healthier community.
As a nonprofit entity, The Foundation has its own Board of Directors. Our board assists with raising funds and oversees how those dollars are invested back into the hospital and community.
Our fundraising efforts are guided by our mission and vision statements:
- Mission: The generosity of our caring community enables us to advance initiatives that are important to the health of the North Country.
- Vision: Connecting your generosity to enhance health and wellness in our community.
Keeping Our Focus Local
Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital is part of University of Vermont Health, a nonprofit integrated health system.
We understand that many people want to invest in their community and see the impact of their donation at work. That’s why all donations to The Foundation of Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital are used to support local initiatives, programs and services.
Learn more about leadership at Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital
The Impact of Giving
Over the years, donations to The Foundation and funds raised through our events have supported a wide range of initiatives and touched thousands of people. Recently, the generosity of our community has allowed us to:
- Acquire equipment for the Champlain Valley Physician Hospital emergency room and surgery facilities to improve patient care and outcomes
- Empower thousands of local students to act with empathy and hope through the Sweethearts & Heroes program
- Deliver free activities like tennis and pickleball camps for children through local townships
- Help patients afford travel for specialized medical care out of the area
- Obtain diverse mannequins for CPR and other first aid trainings that reflect the diversity of our community
- Offset transportation costs for patients coming to us for cancer treatment
- Provide new beds, safety bedding and painted murals for our Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Unit
- Purchase cardiac rehabilitation equipment, including an exercise stress bike for people who cannot walk on a treadmill
- Supply our Family Birthing Center with fetal monitors, infant monitors and cribs
Newsletters
Read more about how we put your donations to work in our newsletters. We are beyond grateful for the support our community has given us.
Tax Information
The Foundation of Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. Your gift is tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
Our EIN is 14-1727048.
Foundation Board of Directors
- Vicki Marking - President
- Danielle King - Vice President
- Jody Carpenter - Secretary
Julie Kramer - Treasurer
- Julie Huttig - Past President
- Krista Jock Boulé
- Ryan Brienza
- Nathan Bull
- Adam Crosley
- Kathleen Insley
- Sean Lukas
- Todd McCarthy
- Chris McLear
- Michael McMahon, MD
- Angela Powell, MD
- Wouter Rietsema, MD
- Brannoin Sample
- Christina Ubl
- Tamar Weerts
- Denise Calkins Ryder
- Reginald Carter
- Linda Bourgeois
- Michelle LeBeau
History of The Foundation of Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital
The Foundation of Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital was formed in late 1989, following the success of a $3.2 million capital campaign to build the FitzPatrick Cancer Treatment Center. In its infancy, The Foundation had its own Board of Directors and was led by the Director of Public Relations. Members of the original Board of Directors included:
- Roderic Giltz, President
- William Morgan, Vice President
- William Owens, Secretary/Treasurer
- Ralph Boire
- Kevin Carroll
- Larry Jeffords
- Gerard Kelly
- William McBride
- Patrick Murnane
- Maurice Racine, MD
In its 35-year history, The Foundation has grown steadily — both from a financial standpoint and in visibility. From its inception, the mission of The Foundation had been to both support the hospital and focus on the health of the community.
Early records show The Foundation’s annual income was $56,532 in 1991. Programs supported then included:
- Heart smart program
- Stop smoking clinics
- Free health screenings
- Educational programs
By 1995, this income had more than quadrupled to $239,532. Today, The Foundation brings in more than $1,000,000 annually, not including capital campaign payments and pledges.
Throughout the early 1980’s, the North Country rallied together to support a very ill boy, Roger Senecal, who needed a liver transplant. After the community raised more than $65,000, Roger sadly passed away. The Attorney General’s Office of New York asked us to create an endowment to help other families with similar situations. Annual proceeds from the fund have been helping families with sick children travel to receive medical care outside the region.
This fund served as a catalyst for the creation of other travel funds. In 2002, The Foundation identified a gap in travel assistance and created the Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital Travel Fund to assist adult patients who did not qualify for the other funds.
Our travel funds have become a signature service for The Foundation.
The Foundation hired a full-time director in 1996 to focus on growth. By 1998 another successful capital campaign raised $1.2 million for the construction of the Alice T. Miner Center for Women and Children. This achievement was instrumental to The Foundation, proving we could raise significant dollars when needed.
Girl’s Night Out started in the late 1990s with a crowd of about 100 women and since that time has grown to hundreds of women taking a night out for themselves. The evening features an educational presentation followed by a humorous and inspirational speaker who reminds the audience of the importance self-care.
The Foundation’s signature summer event started as Nautical Night, a dinner dance cruise on the Port Kent ferry. Over the years, its popularity grew and we changed the venue to accommodate a larger crowd. Summer event themes have included Mash Bash, Happy Daze, Island Rhythms, Fiesta del Rio, La Dolce Vita, CVPH Wild West Round Up, Disco Fever and Plattsburghers In Paradise. These summer events are our largest annual fundraising events.
In 2005, the CVPH Auxiliary and The Foundation combined efforts to become a stronger unified entity. The Executive Committee of the Auxiliary and Executive Committee of The Foundation met several times, along with facilitator Meghan Johnston and attorney William Owens. The group decided that a merger with The Foundation would give the Auxiliary the structure necessary to meet legal requirements and the ability to continue to provide important financial support to the hospital.
The Vision Campaign, which lasted from 2005 to 2010, raised a record-setting $8 million to construct the new surgical department and fund the purchase of the da Vinci Robotic Surgery System. This campaign was the largest local campaign our community has ever been asked to support.
The success showed the level of commitment this community has for the hospital and The Foundation. It set the stage for The Foundation to continue to grow and improve its financial support and stability.
The William Miner Foundation has long supported Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital and, after 1989, The Foundation. Major gifts from the Miner Foundation include:
- $2 million for the Vision Campaign
- $1 million to the CVPH Family Medicine Residency
- $1.2 million to workforce development
Today we continue to invest over $1 million annually into enhanced patient care and community wellness. Our donors are touching lives every single day and helping people live better, healthier lives.