PERMIT #9 BB ulletin - Mary Bridge Brigade
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Bulletin WI N T E R 2020/ 2021
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Leapfrog Designation 2 Dear Mary Bridge Brigade,
Freed Donation 3 At the beginning of each year, many of us wish our friends, family, and
colleagues a Happy New Year. I want to say… thank-you! Thank-you for
Thank You Notes 4-5 all your support and dedication in believing that all kids can have the
childhood they deserve. Amazed. Inspired. Grateful. That is how your
Wreath Project 5 generosity makes me feel. You continue even during difficult times making
a difference for Mary Bridge Children’s and our community.
Festival of Trees 6
In 1921, fifteen women had a dream, a dream to build a new Children’s
Office Update 7 Hospital in their own community. Now, years later we are still the driving
force behind every major milestone of Mary Bridge Children’s.
Member Donations 7
This is our year to shine! A year to celebrate 100 years of countless
Safe Start to 2021 8 volunteer hours, fundraising and being champions of children’s health.
I am so honored to be the president of this organization during this
incredible celebration. This remarkable organization has raised more than
$50 million because of our boundless love for children and their families.
Thank-you for all the hard work you have done and continue to do. Words
are not enough to describe the absolute appreciation I have for all of you.
At our January Zoom Council, we will be sharing more information about
the 100th Brunch Celebration on July 27 as well as the 100th Anniversary
Soiree on July 29.
In February, we will be launching our first video out to community
members and businesses sharing our story as well as a 100th Anniversary
Legacy Campaign. Due to COVID, we have not been able to hold
fundraisers, but we will be sharing ideas of ways guilds will be able to
celebrate this 100-year milestone.
The children of Mary Bridge Children’s have heroes working for them and
those heroes are the members of the Mary Bridge Brigade. Stay safe and
healthy.
Warmly,
Dianne
Dianne Hargreaves
MARY BRIDGE BRIGADE • www.marybridgebrigade.org • 253-403-1427
Mission Statement:
The Mary Bridge Brigade is
an organization of volunteers
whose sole purpose is to
further the interest of and aid
in the support of Mary Bridge
Children’s Hospital.
Vision Statement: We
are a recognized asset in our
community working to support
the health and safety of our
children.
Guilds
Mary Edna Agnew
Arizona Roadrunners
Dr. A. W. Bridge
Annie D. Bucsko
Century
Thank You from Jeff Poltawsky
Chambers Creek December 8, 2020
Jean Cunningham Dear Members of the Mary Bridge Brigade,
Capt. Sue Dauser
I have some exciting news to share with you.
Marilyn Duvall
Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital has been named as one of the Top Children’s
Sarah Eckert
Hospitals in the country by The Leapfrog Group for a remarkable third consecu-
Friendship
tive year. This is an impressive achievement.
Guild #10
The Top Hospital award — widely acknowledged as one of the great honors
Esther Hodges
American hospitals can receive — recognizes achievements in patient safety and
Holiday
quality and only hospitals that adhere to the highest standards of quality and
Hyada Park safety are chosen each year.
Dr. Warner M. Karshner
Not only has Mary Bridge Children’s been recognized for the third year as a Top
Lakewood
Hospital, but, once again, Mary Bridge Children’s is one of only nine children’s
Lemons Beach hospitals in the country to receive this award.
Karen J. Lynch
We’ve all faced unprecedented challenges in 2020. But what did not change is
Ida Marge
the unwavering commitment of Mary Bridge Children’s amazing providers, staff,
Dotha McCormick volunteers and donors to rally together provide the safest and highest quality
Donnie J. O’Neill care at Mary Bridge Children’s.
Peninsula Guild #1
This award shines a well-deserved spotlight on our entire Mary Bridge Children’s
Dr. Penrose community. Without our generous community and our partnership with the Mary
Dr. Edward Rich Bridge Brigade, this recognition would not be possible.
Sacajawea
Thank you for your ongoing support, which helps makes Mary Bridge Children’s
Lillian Shotwell one of the best children’s hospitals in the entire nation.
Erma & Robert N. Shumate
Gratefully,
South Sound Ya-Ya’s
The Association Past Presidents Jeff Poltawsky
President and Market Leader
Weenonah
Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital and Health Network
Westgate
2
Grateful Donation
Dear Mary Bridge Brigade Members,
I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Alcina and Mike Freed for their
unselfish gift to Mary Bridge Brigade towards our $10 million goal for the new
Children’s Hospital.
Coryl Clark is the administrator for the estate of Alcina Freed. Lawrence (Mike)
Freed passed away in 2006. They had no children. Coryl had been following Mary
Bridge Brigade on facebook and knew we were raising money for the new
Alcina & Mike Freed
hospital. Alcina and Mike had Tacoma Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in their
wills and wanted to be sure that the remainder of the estate went directly to helping children at the hospital.
On New Year’s Eve Day Coryl came to us with a check from the Freed’s estate in the amount of $100,000.00.
She is certain that Alcina would be very happy with how their gift would directly benefit children in our care.
This generous gift will give hope and care for every child in making sure they live their most fulfilling life.
The Brigade is blessed and honored to be a part of Alcina and Mike’s Legacy.
Below is the beautiful story of Alcina and Mike Freed:
Alcina was born in Portugal and was one of the youngest of 10 children. Their family
owned a farm and a large olive orchard. Her father was a machinist in town for the
railroad and her mother ran the farm and was the town’s midwife.
Mike was born in Ohio and had two siblings. He joined the Army Air Corp as soon as
he was eligible. He went through training and was sent to war. He was captured and
was a prisoner of war at the Battle of the Bulge in 1944 and escaped in 1945.
Eight years later, he was stationed in Portugal where he met and married Alcina.
She became a US citizen in 1957. After a few more duty stations, they were
stationed at McChord Field which is where our story with them begins.
Alcina and Coryl’s mom became best of friends when Mike and Coryl’s dad were
Alcina Freed stationed together initially in 1963 and at a few more duty stations after that in the
Air Force. It is tough being a military spouse and their friendship shared that
common bond. When Coryl’s dad retired in 1970, their family with five children returned to Lakewood to a home
her parents had previously started to purchased. Mike retired the same year, and they found a house to buy just
two blocks from Coryl’s family.
When Mike passed away, Alcina asked if Coryl would help her with writing checks and other house maintenance
things she was not familiar with since her husband had handled everything. It was a simple task every two weeks,
and Coryl was glad to help. As Alcina aged she developed dementia. With the help and involvement of Coryl’s
entire family, they kept Alcina at home for as long as possible, which she appreciated and would always say
“Thank you very much” and “You do so much for me.”
When mobility and personal tasks became too much for Alcina and she was no longer safe by herself, Coryl made
the decision to move Alcina to a retirement apartment with full time care. Alcina had always told Coryl “You do
whatever you think is right for me, I trust you”. In Alcina’s own and very frequent words: “God bless you and
thank you very much.”
Warmly,
Dianne
3
Thank-You Notes to Mary Bridge Brigade
Cookies Make Everyone Smile! (See photos to right)
I wanted to send a note to say thank you SO much to you and the Karen Lynch Guild for these delicious
cookies!! All of them were delivered to staff around our Mary Bridge clinic and hospital campuses
yesterday. The team members were delighted to have such a fun treat. Pictures are attached, you will find
physicians, physician assistants, nurses, medical assistants, receptionists, child life specialists, and even a
facility dog ;) Do not worry, no cookies for Olaf, he was just holding mine!
We had one nurse practitioner come to our office today asking if we had any leftover, they were a such a
hit! Please share this with the rest of the guild and extend our warm thanks and appreciation.
Kristen K. Bishop, MS, CCLS | Certified Child Life Specialist
Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital & Health Network
Pediatric Transport Infusion Pump Update
Good afternoon. Our transport team was finally able to start using the new transport infusion pumps your
team so generously funded back in 2019. As you can imagine COVID put a halt on many things such as
having resources available to install and double check the infusion library which is instrumental in making
these pumps both smart and safe for our patients.
The nurses are really enjoying the portability of these pumps and feel safer administrating life-saving drips
and medications because of the safety medication library in the infusion pumps. These pumps take less
room than the previous pumps and are easy to use—they are grateful for these devices and your support
of our team.
Again, I want to thank you for your generosity and allowing us to provide exceptional care to our kiddos.
Kindly,
Jodi L. Gragg, MN, RN, CPN | Associate Chief Nurse Executive
Mary Bridge Medical Surgical Unit, IVT, PICU, Transport, Perianesthesia and GI Lab
Mary Bridge Brigade Orthopedic Shoe Program
We just wanted to send a note to express our appreciation for the shoe (orthotic) voucher at Nordstrom.
Our 15-year-old Jacob has had a difficult few months with a loss of feeling in one of his feet which has
resulted in a foot drop. He has had many doctor appointments at Mary Bridge over the years but has spent
a lot of time lately at MB because of this. Yesterday, he was at the orthotic clinic in Puyallup where we were
fitted with an orthotic and given the voucher. What a tremendous gift. Thank you so much. We were not
expecting this but are so grateful. It has been a rough month dealing with his health challenges and this was
a bright spot for us all. The work that you do is amazing, and we wanted you to know that it does make a
difference in the lives of children and their families. We went to Nordstrom last night and Jacob was so
excited to get a new pair of shoes! (William in the men’s department helped us and he was outstanding!)
Thank you again for your very generous gift!
Sincerely,
Rosalyn, Patrick & Jacob Gutierrez
4Wreath Project
Holiday Greetings and anticipation of a brighter 2021!
Despite the bleakness of 2020, many of you brought life and light into your
homes with the 2020 Holiday Wreaths! I want to thank each one of you that
participated this year.
Beginning way back in early October with fall wreaths and centerpieces, you
chose to bring something beautiful into your homes or to those of others.
Following Thanksgiving, you continued. Many of you purchased the dedicated Mary Bridge Brigade
Wreath, Making Spirits Bright. This wreath alone earned over $7600 for the Brigade. I am honored to
say that the 2020 Holiday Wreath Fundraiser raised $16,549.63 to support the efforts of the Mary Bridge
Brigade. This is the combination of all online, corporate and Making Spirts Bright sales.
This year’s event could not have gone smoother! I did not receive one complaint. I look forward to work-
ing with the team at Lynch Creek Farms and all of you next season.
Here is to a bright and healthier 2021!
Patty Nevins
Mary Bridge Brigade Holiday Wreath Co-Chair
52020 Festival of Trees
Letter from the Chair
Welcome to the 2020 Festival of Trees,
Lauren and I are thrilled to be joining you as this year’s Event Co-Chairs.
Our Festival experience has been one for the books! For over 20 years we’ve
been Tree Designers and from 2005 to 2010 we also managed the Mary
Bridge Brigade Gift Shop.
As many of you are aware, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, MultiCare has
decided to cancel all in-person fundraising events for the remainder of this
year to ensure the safety of our community. We invite you to join us for our
first-ever virtual Festival of Trees. We have updated our theme for this year to “Home for the Holidays.”
Your effort as volunteers is essential in raising funds for Mary Bridge Children’s, ensuring that that they
continue to provide high-quality, compassionate care for children throughout our communities.
We’ve had the pleasure and honor to be following in the footsteps of many chairs who have held this
role and who, with the dedication of community volunteers, have raised over $36.9 million for
Mary Bridge Children’s. This has helped to provide countless families with care and support for the past
34 years.
Thank you to those who are new to Festival and to those who’ve supported Mary Bridge Children’s for
years. Please know you have our support and gratitude for opening your hearts and dedicating your
time.
Festively Yours,
Mary Bridge Children's Festival of Trees is an annual holiday fundraiser benefit-
ing Mary Bridge Children's. Together our community raised over $1.35 million for
Mary Bridge Children's patients and family.
6Mary Bridge Brigade Office Update
The year 2020 has somehow been both the longest and shortest year of my life! I am beyond grateful to
have been working with all of you during such a strange year. It has been inspiring to see how everyone
continues to adjust and change to these challenging times. I am thrilled to be part of an organization
committed to contributing $10 million to building a new Children’s Hospital! As someone relatively new, it
is incredible to see you all honor this organization’s legacy by contributing such an extraordinary gift to the
children and families in the South Sound.
With everything that has been going on this year, I am happy to let you know that the MBB office is running
smoothly. I have enjoyed working with the Communications Committee and Fundraising Committee to find
new ways to fundraise and do community outreach. As updated rosters come in from guilds, I am
updating our master list and processing all the incredibly generous donation coming in! It is exciting to
see how many of you are going the extra mile to support the new hospital. I am continuing to work mostly
remotely due to COVID. I am in the office twice a week for a few hours to do things I cannot do from home.
All calls are forwarded to my cell phone. If there is anything you need from the office or me, please do not
hesitate to call or email. Please be sure to schedule an appointment with me or if you need to come by the
office for something.
As many of you know, I am embarking on my last semester at the University of Puget Sound (Online learning
is REALLY HARD!). As part of my education, I am doing an internship at Pearl Street Residential Center for
about 20 hours a week. This means that my work schedule is slightly different.
Monday – Tuesday: 6:00 am – 2:00 pm • Wednesday: 6:00 am – 4:00 pm
Thursday: 6:00 am – 9:30 am • Friday: 6:00 am - 4:00 pm
This past year was filled with learning and growth. I am thankful to have been doing it alongside all of you.
Cheers to a new year and new opportunities to grow!
Whitney Faulkner
MBB Administrative Assistant
Brigade Member Donations
Thank you to the Brigade members who have committed to building a new state of the art Children’s
Hospital with their generous donation. These donations are truly changing the lives of the children in
our community. You can donate today by clicking on the donate button on our website.
marybridgebrigade.org
Michal Tallman Percy Gaussoin Barbara McLean
Doug and Marilyn Holt Kathy Brownfield Edith Holt & Lynell Shearer
Louise Johnson Liz Latsis Judy Mork
Sherry Martin Diana Blair Living Trust David and Barbara Yound
Linda Cronin Jen and Anthony Horne Carolyn Titus
Kristine Hall Jon Gust Joyce Tovey
Lisa Buston Mark and Sheri Bertolin Karen Lynch
Duane Reed Dianne Hargreaves Joellen Angelel
Joan Root Jean Inman
7NON-PROFIT ORG.
MARY BRIDGE BRIGADE U.S. POSTAGE
PO BOX 5299 MS: 311-1-MBB
PAID
TACOMA, WA 98415-0299
TACOMA, WA
PERMIT #9
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
Wishing everyone a safe and healthy 2021!
Mission Statement: The Mary Bridge Brigade is an organization of volunteers whose sole purpose is to
further the interest of and aid in the support of Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital.
Vision Statement: We are a recognized asset in our community working to support the health and safety
of our children.
MARY BRIDGE BRIGADE • www.marybridgebrigade.org • 253-403-1427You can also read
