PADUCAH, Ky. - When I speak with groups and ask them what the word "foundation" brings to mind, the usual two responses are, "a strong base to build upon" and "something to do with money." Both of the answers form part of the Lourdes Foundation.

Lourdes Foundation is charged with building a strong financial base to carry out our mission to extend the healing ministry of Jesus by improving the health of our community with emphasis on people who are poor and under-served. It takes a strong spiritual and financial commitment to fulfill the mission for our patients, employees and community.

In 2000, the Foundation distributed funds to clinical areas of the hospital including Dialysis, Child Care, Home Health, Gerontology, Cardiac Rehab and Adult Day Care. Patients in crisis were provided with emergency needs such as food, clothing, shelter, medication, supplemental nutrition, or transportation through the Patient Mission Fund. Employees in need were assisted through the Compassionate Response Fund and Friends Helping Friends, which are now combined to form the Employee Mission Fund.

In order to invest in Lourdes and to ensure the continuation of activities that reflect our core values, both Dr. Wheeler and the Foundation Board of Directors worked diligently to establish an endowment. At the February 19, 2002 Board of Directors meeting a decision was reached to establish a $300,000 endowment from Foundation funds.

What does this mean for all of us at Lourdes? It means the cornerstone has been laid to form a strong base for our future. The endowment is a large permanent support fund that will accumulate money and benefit Lourdes for the rest of our history.

Tom Lilly, Executive Director of the Catholic Foundation of Western Kentucky, said, "Most non-profits are so immersed in the day-to-day operations that they lack the vision to ensure stability way down the road. It takes a lot of faith and real long-term vision for the future of the institution to put aside this much money." The Lourdes endowment represents his foundation’s fifth-largest account.

After the endowment reaches an established level of $1,000,000, Lourdes will be able to use the interest from the money to support the needs of the organization. With an annual yield of 10%, yearly distributions would be $100,000. The larger the endowment grows, the larger amount of interest we will have to spend each year on hospital services and new technology, as well as patient and employee needs.

God has entrusted us with the long term care of Lourdes and those we serve so we must be visionary in our planning. The endowment is a great financial investment in the future of Lourdes and its services. It is a symbol of our faith in Lourdes and a reaffirmation of the mission and core values. We must continue to invest in ourselves through the endowment to do His work and leave an intact legacy for our children and the community.