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Avera Sacred Heart Foundation

Make a Donation Honor Someone Special

Gifts can be made in memory of someone who made a lasting impression on your life or to honor an anniversary, birth, graduation or other occasion which holds special meaning for you.

We donated to the Avera Sacred Heart Foundation because...

It was the perfect way to keep his memory alive.

"I remember how hard it was to put my father in the nursing home. It was hard to accept the fact that we could no longer give him the care he needed - or deserved. Looking back, I shouldn't have worried. When he died a few years ago, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I made a donation to the Avera Sacred Heart Foundation in his memory and encouraged others to, also. For me, it was the perfect way to keep his memory alive."

It was a way to help someone.

"Hospice care made Mom's last few weeks a little easier for all of us. I don't know how we could have faced her passing without them. She always wanted to help others - that was just the way she was. By giving in her name to the Avera Sacred Heart Foundation, maybe I can help someone, too."

It helped show how much we cared.

"I didn't know my neighbor that well. Then, when he died last year, I didn't know how to show his family I cared. Flowers didn't seem right, neither did money. I had heard someone mention the Avera Sacred Heart Foundation a while back, but I never knew what it was. So I called - and I made a contribution in his name. The family said it was one of the nicest memorial gifts they had received."

Commonly Asked Questions

Why should I give?

Whether in times of joy or sorrow, your gift can bring peace, comfort and hope to someone in need. The Foundation has done wonderful things with past donations, such as purchasing chapel furnishings, special wheelchairs, sleep chairs, baby warmers and transportation vans for the Avera Adult Day Services, Avera Sister James and Avera Yankton Care Centers, as well as providing support for the education of health-related professionals.

Where will my gift be used?

That's up to you; you can decide where it will be used. If you prefer, you can restrict your gift to a specific need or program such as those listed on the on-line donation form. Special endowments have also been set up where your gift remains intact with its annual earnings being used to carry out your wishes.

If you are unsure where you would like your gift to be used, you can choose unrestricted, allowing the Foundation Board to direct it where the need is greatest.

How can I give?

Please use the on-line donation form to send your gift directly to the Foundation. Checks should be made payable to the Avera Sacred Heart Foundation. All gifts are tax deductible.

When a memorial gift is given, the name of your deceased loved one is then put into our permanent Book of Memories, located in the Avera Sacred Heart Hospital lobby. Sympathy cards are available for your use, free of charge, at the Foundation. All gifts are acknowledged in our quarterly newsletter.

Foundation Supports Healthcare in our Community

This past year over $268,000 was donated back into our community through healthcare related projects such as:

Adult Day Services
Avera Sacred Heart Cancer Center
Avera Sacred Heart Hospice
Avera Yankton Care Center
Defibrillators for local schools and businesses
Dialysis

Eden Programs
Haiti Mission trips
Health related support groups
Homemaker Program
Majestic Bluffs Chapel and Care Center
Scholarships

Foundation News

Avera Atrium Opened In Honor of Former Yankton Physician, Family

Many folks will benefit from a new atrium located in the Avera Professional Office Pavilion and Education Center, thanks to a donation made through the Benedictine Health Foundation by the family of deceased Yankton physician Dr. Clark Johnson and his wife Elizabeth.

Kelly Kathol, executive director of the Benedictine Health Foundation, which was founded 25 years ago in honor of Dr. Johnson, said the atrium “is amazingly wonderful. We use this room a lot, and it’s such a special, fun place to gather. It’s modern, the lighting is good, it’s a very pretty environment. It’s very open, so we can have a lot of events here.”

“I really enjoy working with the family,” Kathol said. “They’re wonderful people.”

“Dr. Johnson was the epitome of the family doctor,” says Jim Means. “He was loved by his patients. He was a wonderful physician. He died way too young.”

Retired Yankton physician Dr. Mal Jameson said Dr. Johnson was very helpful to him when they worked together at the Yankton Clinic.

“Clark took me under his wing at the office and if I ever had a problem or a question, or even just wanted to sit around and take up his time, he was more than ready to give it to me,” he said. Jameson said the atrium is something in which both Clark and Elizabeth Johnson would have taken pride in. “He was a great man, she was a great lady, and I think this is a great tribute to their life,” he said.

The Dr. and Mrs. Clark Johnson Atrium will be utilized for education sessions, forums, exhibits and health fairs, as well as a gathering place for small groups.