Member of the VUMC family feuded recently to help kick off the Community Giving Campaign. Dr. Harry Jacobson (center) served as mock game show host and Tara Henderson, R.N., assisted as Dr. John Chapman (left) and Mark Penkhus awaited the next question.
VUMC's Community Giving effort kicks into high gear
This year's Vanderbilt Community Giving Campaign kick off ceremony drew a standing-room-only crowd in Light Hall.
The event, a parody of the once-popular television game show "Family Feud," pitted administrators from the schools of Medicine and Nursing against administrators from Vanderbilt University Hospital, all in the name of boosting awareness of the campaign, which each year raises funds for such charities as the United Way, Community Shares, and the Combined Health Appeal.
The game show featured Dr. Harry R. Jacobson, vice chancellor for Health Affairs, doing his best Richard Dawson impression as host.
The medical and nursing school "family" was represented by Dr. John E. Chapman, dean of the School of Medicine; Colleen Conway-Welch, Ph.D., dean of the School of Nursing; Dr. James A. O'Neill Jr., John Clinton Foshee Distinguished Professor of Surgery and chair of the department; Alan D. Cherrington, Ph.D., Charles H. Best Professor of Diabetic Research and chair of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics; and lucky audience member Marlene Jayne, assistant to the chair of Biochemistry.
The hospital and clinic "family" included Mark L. Penkhus, chief executive officer and executive director of VUH; David Posch, chief operating officer of Vanderbilt Medical Group; Marilyn A. Dubree, director of patient care services and chief nursing officer of VUH; Phyllis Ekdall, chief financial officer for the VMG; and Environmental Services staff member Anita Adams.
The game, which unpredictably ended in a tie, was intended to spread the word about the campaign and to give materials to the solicitors assigned to each department.
Last year's campaign raised $691,000 for the United Way, Community Shares, and the Combined Health Appeal. This year's goal is $700,000.
"The community giving campaign is an opportunity for everyone at the medical center to help build a better future for our community," Jacobson said. "Although we have a goal for the amount of money that we would like to raise, a large part of our goal is that everyone participate."
This year's campaign chair for the medical center is Lee E. Limbird, Ph.D., associate vice chancellor for Research, who will be responsible for spreading the word about the campaign and providing leadership to the medical center.
"Our success and momentum for this campaign draws its strength from our commitment and the involvement of solicitors in communicating the campaign message," said Limbird.
Another familiar VUMC face will serve as this year's United Way Campaign chair for the entire Davidson county area — nursing school dean Conway-Welch. As chair of that campaign, she will encourage Nashville-area business and community leaders to contribute.
The campaign is scheduled to conclude by the end of October.
For more information, call the Internal Campaign Office at 343-8759.