Memorial Giving:  A Lasting Reminder

Additional articles on giving from Vision, Pattie A. Clay Regional Medical Center's quarterly newsletter:

Legacy Giving

Charitable Gift Annuities

The Giving Tree:  Giving that Endures

Contact Pattie A. Clay Foundation:

859-625-3602
By e-mail:  mareitadaugherty@pattieaclay.org

(Reprinted from Winter, 2002  issue of Vision)

Among the most gratifying donations we receive at Pattie A. Clay Foundation is a memorial gift. The tradition of sending flowers in memory of a departed friend or loved one is giving way to a new tradition of making a donation to a favored charity in their honor.  When Caperton Burnam died in 2000, his daughter, Kathy Flood, asked for loved ones to express their sympathy through a gift to the Pattie A. Clay Foundation.  Mr. Burnam was such a beloved member of the Richmond community that within a few weeks of the request,  dozens of gifts had been received in his honor. 

Flood said her decision to encourage gifts to the Foundation was simple.  “Daddy was always interested in the hospital and recognized that having a good health care system is vital to having a vibrant community.  He supported the hospital throughout his life.  We thought it was appropriate to honor that support after his death.”  Three generations of the Burnam family have served on the hospital board, beginning with Caperton Burnam’s mother, Jamie Caperton Burnam, continuing with his wife, Sophy Mason Burnam, and extending to today, with his daughter, Kathy Burnam Flood, who also serves on the Foundation’s board of directors. Caperton Burnam’s contributions to Richmond spanned throughout his lifetime of service and community spirit. Through memorial giving, the community continues to benefit from that giving nature. 

The Foundation also receives memorial gifts of a different kind. Mary Eidson was ill for many months before she died.  She was in and out of Pattie A. Clay Regional Medical Center during those last few months, sometimes staying for weeks at a time.  After her death in December of 2000, her family wanted to remember her in a very tangible way. 

Mike Eidson, Mary’s son, came into the Foundation office to deliver his donation.  Mike couldn’t say enough about the kindness of the nurses at Pattie A. Clay.  “Everybody was so wonderful to her during those last few months.  We just wanted to repay that kindness with a gift to the hospital.”  Like Caperton Burnam, Mike and his wife Kathy have been involved in making the community a better place all their lives. Their gift to the hospital was- just one more way to show their love—for the hospital and for Mary. 

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