Why Give?
Why your gift means so much to so many
To fully understand the importance of your support of Baptist Foundation, all you have to do is read about the people and the lives of those who have benefited from your selflessness and generosity. They are our neighbors, our friends, our family members, and our Baptist employees. And you can be the positive force that makes a true difference in their lives.
The Gieselmanns
After reeling from unimaginable loss, this incredible family decided to turn their experience into something that other families affected by the loss of one or more children could use to bring understanding, acceptance and comfort back into their lives. In 2017, the Miles 4 Milla’s House event was started to raise funds and awareness for the Baptist Grief Centers. Read their amazing, inspiring, and ultimately uplifting story.
Gina Hollenbeck
Although she never used tobacco products, Gina Hollenbeck fought an advanced form of lung cancer. The Courage Thru Cancer 5K was started in her honor. See what she did to remove the stigma of lung cancer as a smoker’s disease, and help others find the care, support and inspiration they need.
Bob Gordon
During his impressive 36-year career as an administrator and ultimately an executive vice president at Baptist Memorial Health Care, Bob Gordon oversaw many accomplishments and advancements to health care in the Mid-South. However, he believes his most enduring legacy is the establishment of an endowment to fund lung cancer research, a gift inspired by the amazing life of his dear wife, Audrey, and her desire to help others.
Baptist Foundation News
Art of Caring
The annual Baptist Art of Caring auction benefits Kemmons Wilson Family Center for Good Grief, supporting free grief services for Mid-South children, teens and adults. The 2023 event raised more than $204,000 in cash and in-kind gifts. Several local businesses donated items for the silent auction, with 52 artists represented. Thank you to all who attended and made bids on auction items, in-person and online.
So many have lost loved ones and are in need of grief services, making the Art of Caring auction benefitting the Kemmons Wilson Family Center for Good Grief that much more vital to our mission. Instead of one day, the 2021 event took place over several days as participants viewed, bid on and won amazing art and collectibles online. Every year, all proceeds from the Art of Caring auction go to provide free grief services for Mid-South children and adults.
"Say Hello to Buddy"
Buddy is the new therapy dog at Baptist Centers for Good Grief. He’s a Bernedoodle, a cross between a Bernese mountain dog and a poodle, and a very good boy. Buddy graduated from therapy training in March 2023, and loves to provide additional support to children, teens and adults through their grief journeys.
P.D. Parrot’s Playroom: Where Children Grow and Learn...and Heal
Children may fear being in a hospital. But a recent new addition to the Spence and Becky Wilson Baptist Children’s Hospital hopes to replace the worry and fear with fun, inspiration, and laughter. In April, the hospital dedicated a new playroom in the hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit. Named for Baptist’s pediatric services mascot, P.D. Parrot’s Playroom features a BEAM interactive projector game system, interactive manipulatives on the wall for all ages, arts and crafts, and other toys and games. The new playroom was made possible through the generosity of Memphis philanthropists Spence and Becky Wilson as well as through a grant from the Toy Foundation, a children’s charity whose mission is to provide the vital commodity of play to children and families under stress.