November 2014 - In This Issue:

New Lothrup Student Council Honors Librarian
Efforts Benefit Cancer Institute

McLaren sits down for a Q&A with Student Council president and New Lothrup 12th grader, Andrew Lienau. 

 

MCL:What prompted the school to raise funds for the Cancer Institute?

AL:Every year the New Lothrop Student Council holds a Powderpuff football game benefiting a local charity. As President of Student Council I was tasked with finding this year's charity. Because our librarian Mrs. Agnes Andres, who was battling breast cancer at the time, was our Grand Marshall we decided the charity should be related to helping cancer patients. Knowing that my aunt worked with breast cancer patients, often at McLaren, she seemed like the best person to ask if she knew of any good charities.She recommended The Ever Living Tree Fund. Next, my uncle (also a McLaren employee), set up a meeting with a fund representative. It was at this meeting we knew

The Ever Living Tree Fund was the right choice after learning how our donation would help so many cancer patients. McLaren is where many cancer patients go from New Lothrop for treatment, so our hopes were that by donating to this charity the money would eventually help someone from our community.

 

MCL:Tell us about Mrs. Andres.

AL:She was the elementary school librarian. I've known her since I started school at four-years-old. Mrs. Andres impacted so many students during her fight against cancer and, even while sick, was very dedicated to her job as librarian and always went out of her way to find books the students would like. She kept working for as long as possible until, finally, her declining health forced her to take time off. Her determination inspired many students to work hard and to never give up.

 

MCL:What do you think she would say about your donation? 

AL:Mrs. Andres would not have wanted us to make a big fuss over her but, I know, she would be deeply touched at our efforts to keep her memory alive.

 

MCL:How much money was raised and how?

AL:We raised $1,350.00 through all of the ticket sales from the Powderpuff game plus the New Lothrop Student Council also sold pink ribbons at school.

 

MCL:What did you learn from this experience?

AL:I learned that working with charities and doing something good for your community is a great feeling and a great motivation to be a better person.

 

MCL:Are their other places in your life, personally or as a student, you can apply what you've learned?

AL:Yes, to always try to be a better person and work hard at whatever you do.

 

MCL:How has this changed the Student Council?

AL:All of the Student Council members have learned that donating your time to helping a charity is very rewarding, and leaves you with a good feeling.

 

Agnes Andres lost her battle with breast cancer on October 4th. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

McLaren extends its deepest condolences to her New Lothrup community and our humblest gratitude to the New Lothrup High School Student Council for its inspiring generosity.

 

New Group is Nod to McLaren's Founders
FOCUS Women: Donor Circle Strives for Healthier Community 
Women have always played a strong role in McLaren's history. In fact, in 1919, the hospital itself was formally created on the work of two women, Lucy M. Elliot, M.D., and Lillian Girard, R.N. Today, as McLaren approaches the centennial of these humble beginnings, a new philanthropy group is taking shape aimed at continuing the founding mothers' traditions of giving, educating, and empowering.

McLaren believes assembling like-minded women on the collective impact their giving can have locally can create truly powerful results - much like those seen by Dr. Elliot and Nurse Girard who took an eight-bed hospital and grew it into what McLaren is today: a 378-bed teaching facility, a widely-acknowledged Center of Excellence for numerous disease treatments, and a non-profit facility donating more than $31 million annually in free and uncompensated care to people in need.

The intent of FOCUS Women is to unify female donors by raising awareness about specific local health issues and the ways in which focused efforts can have a substantial impact on the community. 

FOCUS Women held its first gathering October 15th. The event, sponsored by Macy's Flint, was attended by 50 women who listened to Dr. Linda Lawrence explain the latest advances in breast imaging and breast health and discussed ways to foster efforts to achieve a healthier community. 

Stay tuned for more information on FOCUS Women and how you can be a part.
Participants in FOCUS Women's October 15th launch meeting at Macy's Flint.



Student Artists Brighten Cancer Institute
A little color and art can go a long way to brighten up a room - especially when the room is used for chemotherapy treatments for cancer patients. 

Patients in McLaren Cancer Institute's chemotherapy suite often spend hours upon hours sitting in a chair as they battle cancer. The walls are a pale beige color and the ceiling tiles above their heads are a speckled white. 

But that changed recently... Read the full story.

Five Things I'm Thankful For in 2014
Do you have a few things that - no matter the weather is outside, how busy your schedule, how crushing the demands of daily life - always give you pause and remind you of what's really important? I do. And, I think this is the perfect opportunity to share them in the hopes that maybe they'll remind others to be grateful too. In this life, with all of its ups and downs, we must hold tight to the people and ideas that keep us going, keep us smiling, and keep us giving back. Here are mine, in no particular order:)
  1. Family. I don't know where I would be without my parents, my husband, my kids, and my Maltese, Ramsey. Every day, in some way, is made better because of them. Whether it's a smile, a hug, (or a warm puppy snuggle) or the unexpected recollection of a long-forgotten conversation, they bring joy to my work, my life, and my heart. 
  2. Milton Hershey, founder of The Hershey Chocolate Company. He started with caramels, moved on to chocolate, then put them together - sheer brilliance.
  3. My many mentors. Current, past, real, or fictional, I think a mentor can be anyone or anything that inspires you to be a better person. One of my mentors is immortalized on a quote I keep in my office, the timeless A.A. Milne, author of Winnie the Pooh: 
  4. The McLaren family of coworkers, volunteers, and donors who regularly humble me with their commitment to helping our community's patients, of all ages, know comfort, care, respect, and kindness during their time at McLaren. 
  5. The opportunity to serve. I'm incredibly fortunate to have a career that allows me to support the causes which mean the most to me. Each day, I come to work eagerly and happily, knowing I'm so very blessed to do this for a living. 
What are you thankful for? I'd love to hear from you!

Gratefully yours,
Roxanne
 
Roxanne Caine
Vice President
McLaren Foundation

McLaren Health Care, through its subsidiaries, will be the best value in health care  as defined by quality outcomes and cost.

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