Giving Tuesday, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, has become a popular day for supporting non-profit organizations like ours. On Tuesday, December 1, we ask our friends and neighbors to make a donation to Grace Cottage to allow us to purchase two pieces of vital medical equipment.
Established in 2012 by the 92nd Street Y, #GivingTuesday connects diverse groups of individuals, communities and organizations around the world, primarily through social media, for one common purpose: to celebrate and encourage giving. It is no coincidence that it rides the tail of our national thanks-giving holiday, and two days of mass consumerism (Black Friday and Cyber Monday.)
Last year, our #givingtuesday campaign resulted in the purchase of an AmbuaScope and a suture kit for the Emergency Department. This year, we hope to raise enough funds for the purchase of a new microscope for the Laboratory and a new Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) unit for Grace Cottage Family Health. Together, the chosen items total $2,467.
According to Lab Supervisor Tanya Noyes, the ACCU-SCOPE® 3000-LED Microscope delivers outstanding optical performance, value and resolution. It will be put to good use daily to identify cells and casts in urine. This aids in the diagnosis of kidney disorders, hematuria, urinary tract infections and more.
The new AED unit is an important addition to our Grace Cottage Family Health clinic. While we do have a few such units on the hospital campus, as Chief Medical Officer Chris Schmidt explains, “If a patient suffers an emergent life threatening heart rhythm disturbance, every minute counts! AEDs can immediately reverse such arrhythmias if applied quickly.” The new unit will be mounted in a central, convenient location in the clinic.
We are fortunate at Grace Cottage to have a large family of donors who contribute on a regular basis; individuals who realize that their contributions are vital to our ability to provide the highest quality of care to our patients. So instead of using #givingtuesday for a general fund, we encourage gifts to support the purchase of two tangible and critical pieces of equipment.
Unless otherwise specified, all donations received between 5pm Monday, November 30 through midnight on Tuesday, December 1st will be earmarked as #givingtuesday contributions. Any monies received beyond the $2,467 target will be put towards the Grace Cottage Patient Care Fund.
Giving Tuesday contributions can be made by phone (802-365-9109) or online by clicking here between the hours indicated above, or by check (Send to: Grace Cottage, PO Box 1, Townshend VT 05353. Memo: Giving Tuesday.)
