The Friends of the Marion Visiting Nurse Association’s Board of Directors has decided to dissolve and distribute its funds to organizations that will, in turn, continue their mission “to promote community health and welfare”.
The Marion Visiting Nurse Association (MVNA) was established in 1914 and in 1990 became a division of St. Luke’s Hospital. With the merger of Tobey, St. Luke’s, and Charlton Hospitals to form the Southcoast Hospitals Group, the MVNA then became known as Southcoast VNA. The Friends of MVNA were formed concurrently with MVNA becoming a division of St. Luke’s Hospital.
The Friends began their fundraising efforts by accepting donations from grateful individuals who had received home care services from MVNA and then continued their fundraising effort until 1999 through their annual Rummage Sale held in what is now Tabor Academy’s Hockey Rink. This was a huge event that drew savvy customers from near and far. Several Board members have given their time for over 20 years. In fact, one individual’s mother served before her.
In carrying out its Mission over the years, the Board has been able to award numerous nursing scholarships, supported a generous contribution toward the purchase of an ambulance for the Town of Marion, given to the Gleason Family Y in recognition of Dr. Gleason’s many years of pro-bono work for Marion’s Well Child Clinics, sponsored and substantially subsidized a Senior Stretch program for 25 years, contributed to Tobey Hospital’s OR Suites and updated ICU, and many more programs which affected the well being of Marion’s community members.
At this time, the Board will dissolve and is able to pass the torch onto the following organizations who will continue to carry out the Friend’s mission to the young, the old, and those in need in the Marion community. The following distributions will be made within the next month:
- Establish an endowment at UMass Dartmouth School of Nursing for qualified tri-town applicants pursuing a career in nursing. The scholarship is to be named “The Friends of Marion Visiting Nurse Association Scholarship in Memory of Ellen Keogh”, a recently deceased Board member who was affiliated with the UMass Dartmouth School of Nursing. $100,000
- Contribute to the fund to expand the Emergency Department at Tobey Hospital. $100,000
- Fund the N.O.W. program (food distribution on weekends & summer vacations) for qualifying Sippican School students to be initiated & administered by the Mattapoisett YMCA in consultation with Sippican School personnel. $55,000
- Establish a fund for Marion residents to be administered by Community Nurse Home Care, creating a wellness-based program when insurance does not cover an individual’s needs. $75,000
- Donate $70,000 to the COA with $50,000 allocated for the purchase of folding walls for the Activity Room. The additional $20,000 donation to be used for the office renovation project presented to the Friends of the Marion COA as a fundraising challenge toward that project.
The Friends of MVNA wish to thank those Marion Visiting Nurses who served our community, the donors who filled our initial coffers, the past board members who tirelessly fundraised, and, finally, the present board members who currently serve and have cautiously watched over the funds that we are now able to pass on to other organizations serving our community.