CCH Foundation Provides Opportunity to Donate Memorial Trees
2/14/2020
The mission of the Columbus Community Hospital (CCH) Foundation is to build goodwill and financial support for Columbus Community Hospital.
A board of directors, comprised of community leaders from the Columbus area, oversees the activities of the Foundation. The board decides how best to use Foundation donations to support the hospital and its patients.
“The Foundation is a vital partner in our success,” said Michael Hansen, CCH president and CEO. “Without the support of the Foundation and its donors, our hospital wouldn’t be able to offer the level of health care it provides today.”
Many Ways to Donate
There are lots of ways to donate to the CCH Foundation, such as outright gifts like memorials, cash gifts, real estate, appreciated stock, collections (art, etc.), and U.S. Savings Bonds. People can also donate through planned giving such as bequests, life insurance policies, charitable remainder trusts and IRAs.
Additionally, people can contribute to scholarships or participate in the CCH Foundation’s annual Holing Out Fore Health Golf Outing fundraiser.
When donors give to the Foundation, their gift goes directly to the purpose(s) they choose to support. Donors may choose from the following ongoing needs: CCH’s expansion and renovation project, program funding, equipment and medical advancement purchases, and the greatest needs fund which provides resources to help resolve the hospital's most pressing concerns.
Donors to the CCH Foundation are assured that their contributions are managed and invested wisely and that their charitable wishes are honored.
A Unique Gift
One of the more unique ways people can choose to give to the Foundation is by donating a memorial tree that is planted on the CCH campus.
Trees can be donated as memorials in honor of individuals or groups. The executive director of the CCH Foundation, in collaboration with the director of CCH plant operations, manages requests for tree donations on the hospital campus.
CCH Foundation staff help the donor select an appropriate species and an appropriate location.
Previously, CCH’s memorial trees were located east of the hospital’s cafeteria. Due to the hospital’s ongoing construction project, the hospital’s memorial trees have been moved to a more convenient and accessible location to the southwest of the hospital’s main entrance, near the gazebo.
CCH Foundation staff coordinate the installation and maintenance of the trees with the hospital’s plant operations staff. Each tree may be identified with one commemorative plaque and the donor is asked to supply the wording for the plaque. The wording, size and shape of the plaque must be approved by the Foundation executive director.
The minimum donation for a memorial tree and plaque is $350.
After the donation, the tree becomes the property of CCH and CCH staff cannot guarantee the perpetuation of the tree. After providing written notice to the donor, if possible, the Foundation, in collaboration with CCH plant operations, may be forced to remove a tree that fails to thrive and is under no obligation to replace it.
To donate a tree as a living memorial to a loved one, contact Carol Keller, CCH Foundation executive director, at 402-562-3375 or email her at cmkeller@columbushosp.org.