President's Message - January 2014

January 2014
President’s Message

Dear Friends:

In 2013 the Madigan Foundation was able to grow its resources, maintain or expand assistance programs, and answer special identified needs consistent with our mission. Largely, this is because our roles as a trusted recipient of donations and as an advocate for improvement are respected and growing. Summary data of your Foundation’s achievements for the past year will be listed on the web site. Please visit www.madiganfoundation.org.

Among others, two extraordinary gifts of $10,000 each were received at the end of 2013 – one from America’s Credit Union and one from the CSM (Ret) Wright Family Trust. Thanks to you and to all of our other caring donors!

I regret to announce the passing of one of our longest and most visible supporters: BG (Ret) Guthrie Turner, a former Madigan Army Medical Center (MAMC) Commander, a distinguished member of our community, and a long-standing member of our Board. We shall miss him and shall celebrate his life through our continuing activities. We also welcome two new members to our Board, Col. (Ret) W. Theodore Steudel, a now retired cardiologist long associated with MAMC and LTC (Ret) Bob Jones, a military-community liaison and advocate.

Looking forward, we are planning our next annual Breakfast Benefit l on April 24, 2014 , led by our two Co-Chairs, Jen Llanes and Bob Jones - more details to come. We hope to meet or exceed the success of last year with focus goals of Pediatric Services (dental screening, vision support, behavioral health programs) and wounded Warriors.

The annual Young Heroes Recognition and Celebration Ceremony is also well along in the planning stages and will be held 1:00pm – 3:00pm on May 3rd, 2014, at MAMC in the Letterman Auditorium. This is an important, inspirational event for the JBLM community, MAMC and many pediatric patients and staff. Twelve honorees and their families are anticipated, together with three scholarships recipients.

In addition to our continuing efforts to enhance support for the Warrior Transition Battalion (WTB) - to continue as a Community Based Care Unit - and the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) support unit at MAMC, your Foundation will expand the dental screening program for JBLM grade schools through its collaboration with the Lindquist Dental Foundation.

Together with MAMC and the Clover Park School District, the Madigan Foundation has been an advocate for a pilot Behavioral Health Program elsewhere in the system that might incorporate elements of the model, one currently a standard of excellence in JBLM schools. This achievement was supported in implementation by your Foundation. More to come.

Once again as has been my custom, I want to finish this quarterly update with a hearty “thank you” to every one of our donors. There is work to be done and progress to be made while helping to relieve needs for military members, their families and MAMC. I can say that, “We are good at this,” (and we are) BUT we can’t do any of it without your interest and support. Thank you again!

Respectfully submitted,

Al Buck

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