CBF Partners with McKay Foundation to raise funds for a bus!
Driving Home the McKay Message…
As the Executive Director of the Columbia Basin Foundation, I keep busy managing our 116 funds. Every fund has a story and our funds have become family to me. My work drives me each day. I mean I love doing the laundry at home and taking care of my family but working for a community foundation is quite rewarding in a different way. CBF works with a variety of people with different philanthropic purposes and passions. Our community foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of life and shape the future of the Columbia Basin through philanthropy. On a daily basis, we are building relationships while serving our communities with compassion and integrity. If you don’t find me at my office, I am probably either hanging out with my husband and kids or assisting my aging parents. During the last 13 years, my parents have had many medical issues, and I have been helping them navigate through these difficult times. My father is end-stage renal failure and my mom has lost the ability to walk. My parents have been married for 65 years, so they understand ‘until death do us part.’ So, as their daughter, I have made it a priority to be available and advocate for them to be together and to have the best possible care.
So, a few weeks when the McKay Foundation called to discuss the needs of McKay Healthcare and Rehabilitation center and possibly opening a fund with CBF, I listened with a heart of understanding. Seven years ago, my parents moved to assisted living, and I have managed their personal affairs and been their main advocate. As we have traveled this journey together, I have gained a great deal of knowledge about senior care and developed a heart of compassion for seniors. Clearly, I have held my parents’ hands during this process while relying on a community of healthcare professionals to address their medical issues. It truly takes a village! I could tell story after story of all that I have experience and been through with my parents, but I think the main story to tell is that seniors need quality and loving care. Seniors need their family, friends and community to gather and love on them generously.
I would like to call our community to action with compassionate hearts and consider partnering with McKay Foundation as they raise funds and awareness for the needs of their residents. The McKay Healthcare Facility has been an integral part of the Soap Lake Community since 1938. From the time it opened to treat Buerger’s patients to today operating as an assisting living and rehabilitation center, McKay has brought modern medicine practices to its community. The McKay Foundation has an immediate need of purchasing a handicap bus, so they can transport their residents to appointments and events. For the past two years, they haven’t had a bus, and it’s time to drive this message home to our community—our senior residents at McKay need community support to make this wish a reality. The handicap bus is $21,000 and will be greatly utilized and appreciated. If you would consider partnering with us, please send a donation to the Columbia Basin Foundation with McKay Bus Bucks on the memo line.
Compassion is such an important component when caring for seniors.