Order of Eastern Star Gift Will Benefit UI Children’s Hospital
Order of Eastern Star Gift Will Benefit UI Children’s Hospital
uifoundation.org/
Posted January 18, 2008
IOWA CITY -- University of Iowa Children’s Hospital will be able to help more Iowa children with diabetes successfully manage their condition, thanks to the generosity and ingenuity of members of the Grand Chapter of Iowa Order of the Eastern Star. The organization raised more than $43,000 through a yearlong, statewide fundraising effort and recently presented the gift to UI Children’s Hospital. The gift was made through the University of Iowa Foundation.
The gift, which established a fund called Keeping Interest in Diabetes Support (KIDS), will assist a UI Children’s Hospital initiative to loan insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors to families with diabetic children so the families can evaluate and possibly purchase the devices. KIDS resources will also be used to educate families, schools and other caretakers about proper care of children with diabetes.
Eva Tsalikian, M.D., professor and vice chair for clinical affairs in the UI Department of Pediatrics in the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine and director of the department’s Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes division, said Eastern Star’s gift will improve lives throughout the region.
“We were honored and moved by the thoughtfulness of the members of the Eastern Star and by the effective way they did fundraising for children’s diabetes education,” Tsalikian said. “Their generosity will touch the lives of many patients and their families who have to live with diabetes day in and day out. By educating children, families and other caretakers on diabetes management, we can help these children live better, longer and more productive lives.”
The 130 local chapters of the Grand Chapter of Iowa Order of the Eastern Star, comprising more than 13,000 members, raised the funds to establish KIDS from October 2006 to October 2007 through numerous events, including golf tournaments, dances, bake sales, running races and other activities. The initiative was led by Connie Coulter of Centerville, Iowa, and Ed Meade of Newton, Iowa, the 2007 Worthy Grand Matron and Worthy Grand Patron, respectively, of the Iowa chapter of Eastern Star.
Each year, the Grand Chapter of Iowa Order of the Eastern Star chooses a special project for which their members raise funds. These annual fundraising efforts are often directed toward initiatives at UI Hospitals and Clinics and UI Children’s Hospital. Since 1972, the organization has given nearly $650,000 to UI health-sciences programs through the UI Foundation. The organization’s 2007-2008 project focuses on osteoarthritis care at UI Hospitals and Clinics.
The Order of the Eastern Star is the largest fraternal organization in the world to which both men and women may belong. Worldwide, there are approximately 1 million members.
University of Iowa Children's Hospital serves children and their families at its main campus in Iowa City and satellite clinics in communities throughout Iowa. A 180-bed "hospital within a hospital," UI Children's Hospital benefits from the sophisticated services and comprehensive resources of UI Hospitals and Clinics. “Child”magazine ranks UI Children’s Hospital among the top 20 children’s hospitals in the nation.
The UI acknowledges the UI Foundation as the preferred channel for private contributions that benefit all areas of the university. For more information about the UI Foundation, visit its web site at www.uiowafoundation.org.
Contact Information
Susan Shullaw
Senior Vice President - Strategic Communications
The University of Iowa Foundation
(319) 335-3305 | susan-shullaw@uiowa.edu
About The University of Iowa Foundation
Although The University of Iowa is a state institution, it receives 13.5 percent of its funding from state appropriations. The University of Iowa Foundation was organized in 1956 to help the University meet its needs beyond that base funding by generating private support.
A nonprofit IRC Sec. 501(c)(3) organization, The University of Iowa Foundation is independent from The University of Iowa. Located in the Levitt Center for University Advancement, the Foundation is governed by a volunteer board of directors that elects its officers and appoints its staff.
The University of Iowa acknowledges the UI Foundation as the preferred channel for private contributions that benefit all areas of the University. Foundation staff work with alumni and friends to generate funds for scholarships, professorships, facilities, equipment, research, and other University priorities.
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