Hospital meets matching grant

Sonoma Valley Hospital has reached an important milestone in fundraising efforts for the Capital Campaign for Emergency Care by meeting the Vadasz family’s $2-million challenge match.

Combined with other recent community gifts, the hospital has now raised $8.9 million toward the $11 million needed to complete expansion of the new hospital and its state-of-the art emergency care center, currently under construction.

Last November, Les and Judy Vadasz challenged Sonoma Valley Hospital to raise $2 million for the Capital Campaign for Emergency Care by this September. By spring, the hospital had raised the first $1 million toward that challenge which was then matched by the Vadasz family. This week, the hospital’s Campaign Cabinet completed raising the second $1 million to complete the challenge grant from the Vadasz Family Fund, an advised fund of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.

Speaking about the successful match, Les and Judy Vadasz said, “We are proud to be a part of such a generous and giving community. We knew our community would join us in supporting this important campaign and we are thrilled that the challenge was met so quickly.”

The Campaign Cabinet, a committee of volunteers tasked with completing the Vadasz challenge, was launched in April. David Good, who co-chairs the cabinet with Simon Blattner, said, “This is a giant step forward toward the completion of our campaign to provide superior health care to all Somomans. It could not have happened without the generosity and dedication of so many.”

Cabinet members include Bill Brinton, Gerry Brinton, Bill Lynch, Bob Kweller, Joe Aaron, John Gurney, Mollie Collins, Randy Derwingson, Rose Mary Schmidt, Tom Culligan and Valerie Pistole.

An advisory council has also been formed to assist with community outreach efforts, which includes Mike Benziger, Bill Blum, Karen Collins, Tamara Ferguson, James Hahn, Manuel Merjil, Vickie Mulas, Joshua Rymer, Diana Tolpegin and Jennifer Yankovich.

Among the leadership donors who contributed to the second half of the challenge are Scott Smith and Marcelo Defreitas, Carolyn and Richard Fogg, Grieve Family Charitable Trust, James and Donna Halow family, John and Sandra Leland, Mary’s Pizza Shack – Mary Fazio, Kenneth and Patricia McTaggart, Carlene Mendieta and Walter Bowe, the merchants of Sonoma Marketplace Shopping Center, Niles family and Sangiacomo family.

Proceeds from the Sonoma Valley Newcomers Club’s fundraising event in May, which raised more than $8,000 toward the challenge, and generous contributions from hundreds of other community members also helped to raise the second $1 million in three months.

Sonoma Valley Hospital CEO Kelly Mather said, “Thanks to the leadership of Marcia and Gary Nelson, Les and Judy Vadasz and everyone else who has contributed so far, we are just over $2 million away from our ambitious goal. This is a true testament to the dedication and generosity of the community as well as a demonstration of just how important our hospital is to the residents of Sonoma Valley. We hope all Sonomans will contribute at some level to help us reach our goal.”

The Sonoma Valley Hospital Capital Campaign for Emergency Care is raising funds to close the gap between the $35 million general obligation bond (GOB) approved by Sonoma voters in 2008, to meet the state of California seismic standards, and the cost of the new construction and equipment. New seismic standards require most California hospitals to retrofit, rebuild or close by 2013. Thanks to the GOB, plus $11 million in philanthropic support from the community, Sonoma Valley Hospital will meet this deadline.

Included in the project are a new central utility plant, east/west wing infrastructure upgrades, west wing seismic upgrades, infrastructure for electronic health records, expanded parking, electrical upgrades, and the new wing for a state-of-the-art Emergency Care Center and Surgery Center.

For information about the Capital Campaign for Emergency Care, call Campaign Director Harmony Plenty at 935-5070.