Nearly 200 guests attended ‘An Evening of Gratitude’ benefiting Baptist Health Fishermen’s Community Hospital, on April 10 at Oceanfront Park in Marathon. The event raised over $324,000 as Baptist Health Foundation honored its Giving Society members and other donors to Fishermen’s Community Hospital. All proceeds from the evening will support the hospital’s Center for Excellence in Nursing program.
The event, presented by Geraldine and William Weir, featured a cocktail hour, dinner, live auction and live band. Speakers included Aleta Williamson, Baptist Health Foundation Fishermen’s council chair; Drew Grossman, Mariners Hospital and Fishermen’s CEO; and Alex Villoch, foundation CEO. The program also featured remarks by Diego Torres-Russotto, chair of neurology and the distinguished endowed chair in neurology at Baptist Health Miami Neuroscience Institute; and Pang Xiong, emergency department director at Fishermen’s.
“Fishermen’s Community Hospital is proud to serve as a source of high quality, compassionate care for the Florida Keys,” said Grossman. “Our goal is to ensure our community has access to essential health care services close to home — delivered with expertise and a personal touch. Our nurses are the heart of this hospital, and we are grateful to our community for supporting them.”
“Fishermen’s Community Hospital is truly something special – a hospital with a rich history of caring for the community, and a community that has cared for this hospital with incredible generosity, time and time again,” said Villoch. “We thank our Keys donors for their trust in us.”
Bougainvillea Gold sponsors of the event included Nan and Philip Coon, Lookout Foundation, Media Counselors, Small Hospital Innovations, Rosemary Thomas and Maria and Rick Wesslund. Bird of Paradise Silver sponsors included Joan & Kelley Bergstrom, Dee & Don Swatik, Charley Toppino and Sons Inc. and Aleta and Dean Williamson. Orchid Bronze sponsors included First State Bank, Radiology Associates of South Florida, Trane Technologies, Lynn Voit and Sue and Dave Williamson. Hibiscus Copper sponsors included Cat Cay Club, Mallory Pinto, Keys Ocean Realty, Mary and David Rice, Susan Ruck and Colin Parker and Ventas.
Located in Marathon, Fishermen’s is a state-of-the-art 22-bed facility that was built from the ground up with community support. It opened in the summer of 2021, providing critical services close to home, including a 24/7 emergency department, intensive care unit, inpatient rooms, laboratory, imaging services, oncology services, surgery and pharmacy.
