Impact Stories

Julie and Steve Vanderboom are inspired by nurses and deeply committed to improving healthcare for all of us in the communities they call home. Julie was a nurse for 35 years and held other high-level healthcare roles focused on quality, teamwork and leadership. Steve founded Pace®, a successful global firm that does environmental, pharmaceutical and […]

When Cheryl White arrived at NCH earlier this year, she unknowingly faced a heart attack, and with it, two major life-threatening complications that gave her a minimal chance of survival: less than 15 percent (a 100-percent chance of death if nothing was done). “I had been putting nose drops in two days earlier, when I

We’ve all had a doctor, nurse, hospital staffer or volunteer who went above and beyond to provide care and comfort to us. NCH is proud to offer our Guardian Angel program, a giving initiative for patients and families to honor those individuals. Each gift recognizes the compassion and dedication of our caregivers while supporting programs

It was a total mystery…Patient Glenda Bridges arrived at NCH just after suffering her third stroke this year. What made this so unusual is that it’s very rare to have strokes hit the same area repeatedly, but that was Glenda’s case. While her first two strokes had happened weeks apart in another state, she was

When you visit the hospital, sometimes you may have to receive medications or other fluids through an IV inserted into your arm. A generous local couple just made it easier and less painful, if you have that experience at NCH. Patricia and Don Altorfer made a donation specifically so we could get new ultrasound machines

Local philanthropists Jay and Patty Baker are making history with another incredible gift to enhance the lives of people in Southwest Florida. In addition to their previous gifts to several local nonprofits, including NCH, the Bakers recently announced a new donation of $10 million toward the new RM Schulze Family Heart and Stroke Critical Care

The new era of orthopedic care in Southwest Florida just got an infusion of $7.5 million from the Kapnick Foundation whose generous donation will support construction of our new orthopedic surgical center. NCH is currently building a one-of-a-kind, 120,000-square-foot facility for its partnership with the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), ranked No. 1 in the

One of the most futuristic features of NCH is its incredible Judith and Marvin Herb Family Simulation Center that allows healthcare professionals, first responders, students and others to train for real-world scenarios in simulation rooms, including fully functional operating rooms. This education hub was fully funded by philanthropy, including a recent gift from Bill and

Tom Golisano, the founder of payroll and HR firm Paychex, recently donated a staggering $85 million to Southwest Florida nonprofits, including NCH. The surprise announcement committed unrestricted funds to 41 different organizations through the Golisano Foundation. NCH will receive $5 million, on top of the recent $5 million gift Golisano made earlier this year for

Bill and Marie Pastore want to make the world a better place by donating to charities and projects that are delivering real transformation they can actually see. They strongly believe in NCH’s vision to do just that. “Our family immigrated to America from Italy with nothing and were very hard-working people,” explains Bill. “When they