14 minute read
GLENNON FRIENDS
GLENNON FRIENDS celebrates the faith, commitments and generosity of our supporters.
SPOTLIGHT
Margaret Jenks
Margaret Jenks keeps a picture of a large, fluffy dog on her kitchen table. She has always loved dogs. And kids, too. Which is how she became friends with that dog, whose name is Thor.
Thor is a facility dog who joined the staff at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital in 2019. A Labrador Retriever who is nearly four years old, he was bred, raised and trained from puppyhood to become a pediatric hospital facility dog. Providing comfort and motivation to kids, parents and caregivers is his job description.
Mrs. Jenks combined her affections for dogs, children and philanthropy when she made a contribution to SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Foundation that brought Thor to the hospital. "I strongly believed that Thor could be so helpful for children as they are dealing with illness," Mrs. Jenks said. "The comforting presence a dog can provide is something special. I was confident that Cardinal Glennon would successfully implement this program." "My grandmother has always loved dogs," said Jenks Coggin, her grandson. "She also is very charitable. That is why she was part of the program that was started for Thor. She believes in Cardinal Glennon and everything they do there. She is very religious and sees Glennon's principles and what it does for people in need."
Mrs. Jenks was born in Alton, Ill., and grew up in St. Louis. "She ran a family-owned mining business before she retired. Her success as a business woman was very impressive in her time," Coggin said.
Her philanthropic efforts have supported her church, religious charities, schools and educational programs, he said. "Her desire to help younger generations is her primary focus of charitable giving."
While Coggin grew up in Virginia, he often visited his grandmother in Missouri. "I always remember going to her house and seeing dogs running around. One time a stray dog gave birth to a litter of puppies on her farm. She took in all five of them."
Facility dogs, such as Thor, and their handlers are used for goal-oriented interventions with patients, such as encouraging them to participate in therapies and procedures. They also provide stress-relieving companionship and comfort to parents and caregivers.
Thor came to SSM Health Cardinal Glennon from Duo Dogs, a nonprofit organization that provides facility dogs, therapy dogs and service dogs to individuals with disabilities or other special needs. The dogs are selected for temperament, behavior and personality and undergo two years of training that stresses obedience.
Thor and his team, food, medicine and grooming are supported by contributions to the SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Foundation. "My grandmother knows of the joy a dog can bring to a kid's life," Coggin said. "It is really incredible what these dogs do. She sees that the kids at Glennon get a lot of emotional support from Thor. It brings a great deal of satisfaction and joy to her to know what he is doing. "She loves the hospital and its mission."
Margaret Jenks and Thor
SPOTLIGHT
George Weber
George Weber was standing in the kitchen and talking on the telephone 21 years ago. Suddenly he suffered a major stroke. He remembers dropping the phone and then...nothing.
Initially his doctors were concerned that he might not recover, but he did. Weber continues to undergo rehabilitative therapy, which has allowed him to regain much of his ability to speak and limited ability to walk. "He used to ask, 'Why did God do this to me?'" recalled his sister, Leogene. "He decided, 'So I could come back and help people.'"
Weber, second-youngest of eight children, grew up on one of the family farms established in St. Charles County in the middle of the 19th century, when waves of immigrants came to the U.S. from Germany. St. Charles County, previously settled by Spanish and French pioneers, became largely German.
Weber's home was built by his father. Nearby is the home built by his great-grandfather, Peter Weber, in 1849. "This was good farmland," Weber said. "It's located between two rivers (the Mississippi and the Missouri) so it had rich soil."
The Webers enjoyed plentiful days working and playing in the fresh air, Leogene said. "In the winter we went ice skating on the pond. We had a beautiful life here."
The farm produced corn, soybeans, eggs and sometimes wheat and strawberries to sell. The family also raised its own vegetables and processed its own pork and beef. Home-made butter, buttermilk, jams, jellies, pies and sausage were enjoyed on the large round table in the kitchen. "The table is 100 years old," Leogene said. "A guy in St. Charles made it. My grandpa bought it for a $5 gold piece."
Weber had five brothers and two sisters. Six other siblings died at birth.
Faith was an important part of the family's life. The Weber children attended mass and school at the St. Charles Borromeo Parish about five miles away in the city of St. Charles.
The original wooden church - the third Catholic parish established west of the Mississippi River - was built in 1791 when the region was controlled by Spain. The church was named for the patron saint of the Spanish king.
Much of the current church was consecrated in 1872. A wind storm destroyed much of it in 1915. The cornerstone for its reconstruction was placed in 1916 by then-Archbishop John Glennon, for whom SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital was named in 1956. The church's baptismal font was donated by the Weber family. Weber volunteers at several monthly support groups for survivors of strokes and head injuries. With a sibling doing the driving, he continues his long-time practice of visiting neighboring families to drop off fruits and vegetables – and candy for the kids.
He never married but there were always lots of children around the farm from his extended family. "I always liked kids," he said.
Weber's niece was a patient at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon. "She had heart troubles when she was born. They operated on her then and would wait until she was three years old to operate again," he said. "The day before her operation we walked down the field to the pond together. She went through the operation good," he said, but she died from complications following the procedure. "That was 34 years ago."
He recently decided that another way to "come back and help people" would be to make a substantial gift in her memory to SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Foundation. "I wanted to do something for kids. Her parents knew the people at the hospital did all they could for her," he said. " I know they take good care of kids."
George Weber and his siblings George Weber
Why I Give »
I give to Cardinal Glennon because of the amazing doctors and nurses that treated me almost 35 years ago.
What Cardinal Glennon did for both me and my family can’t ever be repaid, so I donate for all children to receive the care I did many years ago.
Ryan Welch
Ryan Welch Michelle Bockhorst with her daughter, Marissa, at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon
My daughter, Marissa, spent most of her life at Cardinal Glennon since birth. She had a heart transplant weeks after her birth. The care she received, there are no words to describe it.
The team at Glennon are our heavenly angels and a very special group of people with lots of heart and soul for everyone they come in contact with.
We were blessed to have 15 years with our daughter until her passing on 1/20/2011. I donate every year in her memory. We will always be blessed by each and every one of the staff there.
Michelle Bockhorst
Cardinal Glennon treated my brother's leukemia when he was five years old and he received excellent medical attention and care.
Without these services, I might not have ever known my brother, because I was very young when he was diagnosed.
I was blessed that my brother made a full recovery. I give back to the hospital knowing that my support will be going to help a child like my brother.
Oliver Doerr
Oliver Doerr and his brother
SPOTLIGHT
Hot, Hot, HOT! Pinball Enthusiasts Raise Funds to Donate HOT WHEELS™ Pinball Machine
Aformer patient at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital has taken his passion for pinball to new heights by orchestrating what turned out to be a global fundraising effort to donate a pinball machine to the hospital. St. Louisan Jason Fowler and his friend, Matthew Koenen, were hosts of the wildly popular Slap Save Pinball podcast, which drew an international audience before the pair ended the show late last year. Among the duo’s last efforts was one in which they asked listeners to help raise funds to place a pinball machine at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon.
“We had listeners from all over the United States as well as Australia, Europe and South Africa,” says Fowler. “We were hoping to raise up to $6,000 including the sale of one of my own machines, but the listeners were so fantastic that we raised almost $12,000!”
Fowler worked with Project Pinball Charity, a nonprofit organization based in Florida that places pinball machines in children’s hospitals and assisted living facilities across the country. To date, 53 pinball machines have been donated to hospitals in 24 states. "At SSM Health Cardinal Glennon, Project Pinball delivered a very cool HOT WHEELS™ machine, much to the delight of kids and their families. "Pinball is perfect for hospital settings because it has therapeutic properties that can be found through joyous physical play that happens while standing in front of a pinball machine,” says Daniel Spolar, one of the founders of Project Pinball Charity. “Pinball machines have a wonderful distracting characteristic that can be enjoyed not only by the patients, but their siblings and the whole family."
Fowler says the effort to bring a pinball machine to the hospital was his way of paying it forward. At age 10, he was rushed to SSM Health Cardinal Glennon and diagnosed with type I diabetes. Scared to learn about giving himself shots, he says the nursing staff and his doctor radiated positivity and caring. His parents, especially his dad Kerby, also rallied around. After Fowler was taught how to give injections into an orange, his dad rolled up his sleeve and told his son to give him an injection (of plain saline) to practice on a real person. “Over the years, control of my diabetes has been stellar. I credit that to the hospital team that taught me everything and to the confidence that my dad instilled in me that day.”
Fowler, whose family started Fowler’s ZX gas station in Richmond Heights, Mo., says the HOT WHEELS™ pinball machine honors his father with a plaque on the side of the machine. “The connection isn’t so much with pinball as it is an opportunity to honor my dad and mimic his generosity in life. He passed away three years ago from complications due to Alzheimer’s, but he was my best friend and I still think of him every day.”
Fowler has volunteered to serve as the regular technician to keep the machine in good operating condition. “I’ll take care of it as well as Cardinal Glennon took care of me,” he says. “It’s a way to say thank you to the hospital and honor not only my dad but the many pinball enthusiasts around the world who listened to our podcast and contributed so that children can get away from their worries and find joy in playing a game.”
Jason Fowler and his nephew in Fowler's home arcade
SPOTLIGHT ST. VINCENT REDBIRD RUNNERS
St. Vincent Redbird Runners Raise Nearly $600 for the Hospital
St. Vincent de Paul School in Dutzow, Mo., is a small, Catholic grade school with a big heart. Early in 2021, Mark Spann, a staff member at St. Vincent de Paul, was looking to add a higher purpose to the school’s weekly running group and settled on fundraising for SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. “We needed a purpose beyond just logging miles,” said Spann, “and when I looked around, I realized the mission of Cardinal Glennon was a perfect fit for the mission of our Catholic elementary school.”
Spann quickly set up an online fundraising page for the students and soon donations were pouring in. To date, The St. Vincent Redbird Runners have raised nearly $600 through their page and have helped spread the mission and impact of SSM Health Cardinal Glennon.
According to Spann, his favorite part of the program is watching his students get excited about their miles, knowing that they are helping other kids through their efforts. “It’s one more opportunity to give them the experience of seeing beyond themselves and their community and reminding them of their blessings and how they can use those blessings to help other people,” he says.
We are grateful to the students and staff at St. Vincent de Paul School for their continued support.
Want to start your own fundraiser to support SSM Health Cardinal Glennon? Visit glennon.org/fundraise today to learn more about our online fundraising opportunities and how you can help make a difference for children in need.
The St. Vincent Redbird Runners
SPOTLIGHT GAMERS OUTREACH
Christmas came early at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital with the arrival of two brand new Xbox Series X video game consoles. The consoles came to us through Project GO Kart at Gamers Outreach Foundation, a nonprofit organization that seeks to provide equipment, technology and software to help kids cope with their time in the hospital. Through two separate partnerships with Love Your Melon and actor Gal Gadot, Gamers Outreach was able to deliver two of their customized Xbox GO Karts to SSM Health Cardinal Glennon just in time for the holidays! Each GO Kart is a portable video game kiosk that is specifically designed to be used in a hospital setting and will help our Child Life Team provide bedside recreation to our patients.
We are incredibly grateful to Gamers Outreach and their partners for their support and we cannot wait to see all the smiles each GO Kart brings to our patients’ faces!
SPOTLIGHT JIMMY WILLIAMS
Jimmy Williams Brightens the Holidays for Patients and Families
Annual iCare, iGive Employee Giving Campaign
Back in 2019, Jimmy Williams spent the holiday season patiently waiting for a new heart at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. Just before Christmas that year, Jimmy finally received his heart, which he playfully dubbed ‘Timmy The Ticker.’ Fast forward to December 2020 when Jimmy and ‘Timmy’ returned to SSM Health Cardinal Glennon, but this time they came with gifts to help brighten the holidays for other patients and families. Jimmy Williams Jimmy and his friend, Kate, collected donations in their communities to say thank you to the hospital that saved his life.
Jimmy’s mom, Shana Williams stated, “Jimmy is always looking for an opportunity to give back to Cardinal Glennon. When the opportunity came for him and Kate to bring joy to the children who would be spending the holiday season at the hospital, he
Jimmy and Kate with their donation
literally jumped at the chance,” said Mrs. Williams. She added, “He told me on the way to deliver the gifts: ‘Cardinal Glennon saved my life, mom. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for them.’”
We are grateful to Jimmy and his family for their continued support of our mission. It’s a joy to see Jimmy continue to thrive and grow with his new heart!
SPOTLIGHT EMPLOYEE GIVING
Even with the uncertainty and challenges that our health care workers overcame in the last year, our employees remained a caring, compassionate and committed work family to each of our SSM Health ministries. The annual iCare, iGive employee giving campaign serves the SSM Health St. Louis region and gives employees the opportunity to support the areas where they know it matters most.
At SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, funds like Care for Caregivers, Child Life, Footprints℠, Social Services, the Sr. Noreen McGowan Nursing Education Fund and the Children’s Fund all depend on these annual contributions. Employees choose to make a onetime gift or have a portion of their paycheck deducted each pay period to support what they are passionate about. Although the promoted giving window was April 5 through April 16 this year, employees may still sign up throughout the year. Every gift - no matter the amount - makes an enormous difference in the lives of those we serve. Thank you to everyone who has already participated in the 2021 iCare, iGive campaign.
If you would like to make a donation, please visit icareigive.org.
