Friday, Nov. 15 is National Philanthropy Day. Each year, the RiverView Foundation recognizes this day and celebrates the spirit of philanthropy in our community, while bringing forward great stories of generosity, selflessness, and recognizing unsung heroes helping to make RiverView Health thrive.
This Philanthropy Day is especially exciting as RiverView Health is in the heart of its building project, RiverView 2020: Our Vision is Clear.
To celebrate Philanthropy Day 2019, the RiverView Foundation will share three stories of transformational gifts given by caring individuals with the community’s best health at heart.
“These people never forgot their roots and wanted to give back to their community,’’ stated Foundation Director Kent Bruun. “Together these are transformational, mission-changing gifts. They gave us momentum for our capital campaign.’’
That capital campaign is the Foundation’s commitment to raise $2 million toward the project to support the non-denominational meditation room and the family-inclusive hospital Inpatient Unit with 18 universal patient rooms, three labor and delivery rooms, and four family suites.
MARTHA CARLISLE LARSEN
The second story in the three-part installment is that of Dr. Martha Carlisle Larsen.
Born in Crookston April 29, 1929, she was raised in a home a block north of the old courthouse in Crookston.
According to those who knew her, she was mentored by Dr. Donald Stewart and was given the opportunity to watch surgery at RiverView on occasion. Those experiences are what friends and family believe led to her decision to go into the medical field and, ultimately, include RiverView Health in her estate plans.
Dr. Larsen received her undergraduate degree from Carleton College, Northfield, MN, and completed medical school at the University of Minnesota, where she was one of only two women in her class. Dr. Larsen spent the majority of her life in New York but moved to Rochester, MN, in her later years. She passed away April 10, 2018.
“Dr. Larsen wanted our rural community to remain vibrant and she recognized that without strong local healthcare we would experience outmigration,’’ stated Foundation Director Kent Bruun. “Her transformational gift has the capacity to heal and save lives right here at home. My only regret is that I did not have the opportunity to look Dr. Larsen in the eye and express my gratitude face to face while she was alive, for touching RiverView Health and her hometown, Crookston.’’
For more information on Philanthropy Day or the RiverView Foundation, please contact Bruun at 218-281-9249 or by email at kbruun@riverviewhealth.org.
RIVERVIEW 2020: OUR VISION IS CLEAR
“RiverView 2020: Our Vision is Clear’’ is RiverView Health’s hospital and clinic replacement project. Ground was broken for the $51 million project April 25, 2019, with completion planned in the Fall of 2020.
The 80,000 square foot building will consist of two floors. The top floor, with a view of the Red Lake River on the east and Castle Park on the west, will house a patient-centered, family-inclusive hospital Inpatient Unit with 18 universal patient rooms, three labor and delivery rooms, and four family suites. Every room will have a private bathroom and a large floor plan to allow caregivers adequate space to provide exceptional patient care and room to ensure family and friends are comfortable.
The ground level will be home to all three of RiverView’s current Crookston clinics consolidated into one large clinic with one entrance and a registration area just steps from the front door. The new clinic will have 48 exam rooms, four procedure rooms and four consultation rooms.
The facility will also include a lobby café, meditation room, relocated gift shop, and an 80-occupant training and conference center.
