Under the Tuscan Sun
UPDATED: From a Saratoga Hospital release on August 8:
“The Saratoga Hospital 37th Annual Gala held on Wednesday, July 31, raised a record-breaking $501,310 in net proceeds, shattering the previous record set in 2015 by $90,000. More than 1,000 people attended the event, themed “Under the Tuscan Sun,” presented by Julie & Co. Realty, LLC, and Bonacio Construction, Inc., at the Polo Meadow at Saratoga Casino Hotel.
“The annual gala is a major source of support for Saratoga Community Health Center, which provides primary care, dental, behavioral health, and addiction medicine services to the community, regardless of a patient’s ability to pay. “
SARATOGA SPRINGS – Oh, hello there!
You may be dazzled by all the pretty pics above, as I always am. And we’ll get back to more of them – lots – soon, But what I’d like to chat about first are the concepts of commitment and longevity.
It’s not easy to do something twice in a row – let alone 37 times… we’re not talking about brushing your teeth or hair here! What we are talking about is the commitment on the part of many people to assure that Saratoga Hospital will retain it’s world class-status – a status that so much work went into attaining.
Lest we forget, it is a commitment that is strong enough to endure and honor the passing of this Hospital’s Foundation Executive Director shortly before last year’s gala; and strong enough to endure and honor the recent loss of its largest benefactor before this one.
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In 2015, I landed what we in the reporter biz call: “A great ‘Get’”… an exclusive interview with a superior individual, who rarely did interviews.
That man was Dr. Desmond DelGiacco. His name is one of two which appear atop Saratoga Hospital’s $10 million Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
The other name? Marylou Whitney.
At the time of the interview, the beloved caregiver – “Dr. Del” – had been at Saratoga Hospital since 1981, had seen all the growth, and had done much to help steward it. As I greeted him as he arrived at the Polo Meadow on Wednesday, July 31, I was once again reminded about a simple quote from that interview.
He was discussing the macro-economic trends (Corporate Healthcare, Big HMO’s and Insurance providers) that were driving many Community Hospitals from the American landscape:
“But this community is different.” Dr. DelGiacco said, “It stepped up to support the Board and executive management. This community said it wanted an excellent hospital; it expects an excellent hospital.”
“And now they have an excellent hospital.”
Getting from the ‘wanting’ and the ‘expecting’ to the ‘having’ is the result of the combined efforts of many people ‘doing’ – or perhaps, DOING! Doing many little things that add up to big ones. and honoring the people who helped get you there.
This post is a salute to all their efforts. It will be updated to report on the total funds raised tonight, which I expect to be staggering. In the meantime, enjoy this gallery.
Gallery: Under the Tuscan Sun
Arthur Gonick – August 4, 2019
The 12866 