Gifts/Grants
The Christ Hospital Health Network main campus
Kentucky Colonels Commanding Gen. Gary Boschert presenting Bruce Ripley of Easterseals Redwood with a $5,517 grant
Yung Foundation donates $1 million to Christ oncology program
Bi3 awards $6M for health equity, youth mental health
The Yung Family Foundation, based in Crestview Hills, has donated $1 million to The Christ Hospital Health Network to grow its Comprehensive Oncology Program into a leading cancer center for the region. The foundation has been supporting community assets that strive to deliver best-in-class services, with significant investments in healthcare. The network is expanding in cancer care in response to the increasing cancer rates throughout the region. Christ Hospital was named to Newsweek’s Best Cancer Hospitals list for 2023. Last year, The Christ Hospital Health Network became the only institution outside of the Northeast to join the Dana Farber Cancer Care Collaborative, a consortium of top-performing hospitals in adult medical and radiation oncology. The Yung donation, led by Bill Yung, founder and president of Columbia Sussex Corp., and his wife, Marty, is in recognition of the care their daughter received from Dr. Jennifer Manders, surgical oncologist at Christ.
Grantmaker bi3 announced $6 million in grants to its strategic partner TriHealth and five local nonprofit organizations to advance patients’ health, accelerate birth equity and improve youth mental health. Funding to TriHealth will support the creation of a Center for Health Equity, while grants to community organizations will expand youth mental health resources and grow local doula services to help improve maternal birth outcomes. Grants include: • $4.3 million to TriHealth: To support TriHealth in launching a wide-scale, strategic approach to health equity, starting with the launch of a new Center for Health Equity. • $200,000 to NyNi, Inc: Three-year grant to increase the number of trained and certified community-based Black birth doulas in Butler and Hamilton counties. • $200,000 to Blaq Birth Circle: To support efforts to build a professional support network for Black birth workers, including doulas. • $30,000 to The Health Care Connection: One-year grant to support THCC’s Centering Pregnancy program, providing access to critical diagnostic services for populations that experience disparities in maternal and infant health outcomes. • $1.3 million to Best Point Behavioral Health: One-year grant to enable the youth behavioral health organization to increase its workforce and crisis services and better serve families in need. • $50,000 to Consortium for Resilient Children: One-year grant to position the consortium of 10 early childhood and mental health organizations to build capacity through pilot training and development of early childhood professionals.
Easterseals Redwood receives vocational grant from Ky. Colonels Easterseals Redwood has received a $5,517 grant from the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels. The money will be used to purchase an industrial shredder for Redwood’s Vocational Day Training Program, in which adults living with disabilities learn workplace skills through training and subcontract work such as shredding large amounts of paper. In all, the Colonels awarded $3.1 million in grants supporting 343 nonprofits that reach more than 3.8 million Kentuckians.
22
AUGUST 2023
Movers & Makers
University of Cincinnati alumnus and benefactor Bruce Besanko
UC alum’s gift supports LGBTQ center A University of Cincinnati alumnus has made a $200,000 gift to the university’s LGBTQ Center. Bruce Besanko, retired Kohl’s chief financial officer, has created the Bruce Besanko Support Fund for the LGBTQ Center. The center enhances the campus community for LGBTQ students and their allies, providing a safe space, intersectional programming, and access to culturally relevant resources. The center has been on campus since 2011. Besanko says he wants to directly help students who use the center as a resource. His gift will support both operational and direct student support. Besanko, who retired from Kohl’s in 2020, joined the United States Air Force in 1982, rising to lieutenant colonel during 26 years of service. He received the Air Medal for numerous aerial combat missions over Iraq and Afghanistan.
Council on Aging receives AARP grant for transportation Home52 Transportation, a service of Council on Aging subsidiary home52, has received a 2023 AARP Community Challenge Grant, one of only 310 grants nationwide. The $35,168 grant is in the transportation systems change demonstration category, supported by Toyota Motor North America. In 2022, the program provided nearly 40,000 rides for approximately 1,200 riders countywide. These trips were scheduled through a central call center. In 2023, home52 Transportation will launch an online scheduling and trip management system known as Passenger Portal. The AARP grant will fund educational tools to help older riders use Passenger Portal.