2018 Heart of Giving

Above pictured left to right: Dr. Christopher Boyd, Dr. Mohinder Gupta, and John Cadley

Below pictured back left to right: Korey Kaufman, Lonnie Miller, Whitey Flockerzie, and John Cadley, and John Sperzel in front

A crowd of nearly 200 gathered for Samaritan Hospital Foundation’s (SHF) annual Heart of Giving Dinner that took place Oct. 4. The evening is dedicated to thanking individuals in our community who give generously of their time, talent, treasure and service to help others.

The event began with a series of videos highlighting how SHF grants are positively impacting the health and wellness of individuals in Ashland County.

A few highlights include:

SHF/University Hospital Samaritan Medical Center (UHSamaritan) are providing 27 schools with Stop the Bleed Buckets for every classroom in Ashland county and New London. The buckets provide tools to stop bleeding in case of an active intruder or an accident. Staff training on use of the tools in an emergency is provided by UHSMC and paid for by the Foundation.

SHF funds also went toward Bikes for Folks with Disabilities. The program provides an on-call battery bike to Dale Roy School and another bike to the Ashland County Parks with a matched donation from the Parks for a second bike to be used by trained volunteers and family members to get their loved one outside to experience the beauty of our parks.

A new $500,000 state-of-the-art Technology CT Scanner for UHSamaritan was purchased thanks to an SHF grant to provide faster scanning and reconstruction of the images and give the radiologist clearer images to interpret the scan, as well as a larger gantry opening that affords patients a less confined feeling.

SHF also provided a grant to fund a new UHSamaritan Music Therapy Program that uses music to address pain management, and other patient issues. 

A special military tribute video recognized Purple Heart recipients, Korey Kaufman, Lonnie Miller and Whitey Flockerzie. Also recognized at the dinner was Purple Heart recipient, Adam Boyce. In support of the Disabled American Veterans of Ashland County, SHF presented a $10,000 award to past Commander, John Sperzel, along with $1,600 for two disabled veterans to experience the Honor Filight Trip to Washington DC in 2019.

During the Heart of Giving Awards portion of the event, SHF recognized three individuals in our community for their compassion and faithful service to make a difference in the lives of others:

Dr. Christopher Boyd, UHSamaritan physician, was honored for his servant’s heart, giving back to others in the Ashland community and people in need around the world. He has been instrumental in the success of the Ashland Christian Health Center and a faithful volunteer, he provides volunteer care for student athletes in local high schools and at Ashland University, and meets the needs of patients in third-world countries through numerous medical mission trips.

Dr. Mohindar Gupta, practicing ophthalmologist and leader in the Ashland community, was honored for a lifetime of serving our community through his dedication and compassion. He has touched countless lives during his 44 years by providing world-class care, including saving people’s eyesight from various trauma situations with his knowledge and quick action. Dr. Gupta’s service goes beyond the borders of Ashland County through medical mission trips to third-world countries where he performs thousands of sight-saving eye surgeries at no cost.

SHF also recognized John Cadley, Vietnam veteran and retired Director of Ashland County and City Environmental Health Division, for his servant’s heart to honor Ashland County veterans and their spouses. Jack has a personal ministry and visits veterans in all of our area nursing homes—at last count he was regularly visiting with 95 different residents. He does this with no recognition and for no other reason than he feels led to do so. Jack saw this as a need and decided to do something about it. During Ashland County Veteran’s Appreciation events, Jack stands at the entrance the entire time, hoping to greet and thank every single veteran that comes to the event.