GE N E RO S I T Y F O R G ENER ATI O NS CA MPA IGN U PDAT E
Generations of Generosity Acts of kindness and generosity are being passed from one generation to the next. Susan Webster’s story reflects two generations of generosity inspired by her late mother, Jean Van Vleck. Generosity expressed with donations of time, talent, treasure and testimony. Moving to Sun City West from Michigan was Jean’s dream, and she and Susan’s father, John, moved in 1986. Susan was there to welcome them. She arrived first. “It was in mom’s blood to volunteer,” says Susan. After doing her homework, she chose to volunteer at Boswell Hospital (now Banner Boswell Medical Center), in the Emergency Department, and for 10-plus years kept families of patients up-to-date on their loved ones. “She loved giving back.”
Susan recalls the time when Jean had pneumonia and was on the receiving end of the hospital’s support during her stay at Boswell. “Every day, mom’s fellow volunteers included a thoughtful message or craft item on her food tray.” After her recovery, Jean never forgot the support and the quality of care she received. She made a donation to Sun Health Foundation to honor her older sister, Olga, who was like a grandma to Susan. And, while her Trust had already been completed, one day she announced to Susan, “I just signed something that upon my death a gift will be made, in support of the Boswell Emergency Department, to Sun Health Foundation.” “This is a charity my mom believed in because donations actually help where they are supposed to help,” says Susan. Susan is honoring Jean’s wishes in support of superior healthcare through the Generosity for Generations Campaign. Her donation is being commemorated with an inscription on an artistic leaf attached to a beautiful tree on Banner Boswell’s new Donor Recognition Wall. “When I learned about the opportunity to fund a leaf on this Wall just down the hall from the Emergency Department, I couldn’t believe the beautiful connection.”
From left: Susan Webster, Olga V. Look, and Jean Van Vleck
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To her delight, Susan also learned she could select a turquoise leaf – her mom’s favorite color.
Susan Webster
Susan has been so inspired by her mother’s generosity that she changed her Trust too to make Sun Health Foundation one of her beneficiaries because that’s what Jean loved. “Mom was the most caring, giving person. Things that mom loved, I loved because I saw them through her eyes. Mom’s generosity taught me to be generous too.” Susan also donates her time as a volunteer at various organizations and is a commissioner for the Arizona Commission for Deaf and Hard of Hearing. This is in addition to her job as a realtor. “If our story helps make more people aware of the lasting impact of generosity, then I’m happy to share with others.”
