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(HOWARD, SD) – In November 2019, the Horizon Health Foundation kicked off the fourth year of their internal Employee Giving Campaign, “Harvesting Good Will." Through this campaign, Horizon Health Care employees across the state were challenged with a goal of $50,000. Employees shattered their goal and donated over $55,000 in cash and pledges. Since launching the Employee Giving Campaign in 2016, total contributions have surpassed over $180,000.
“Powerful is how I describe what our employees do for their communities,” said Brianna Feldhaus, Horizon Health Foundation Fundraising Officer. “They have made it possible to help over 523 patients by removing barriers to care such as transportation, cancer screenings, and helping one another out through the Employee Emergency Fund. Now, that’s powerful!”
All donations raised through the employee campaign will be designated to the Horizon Health Foundation’s funds of behavioral health, dental care, cancer care, charity care, diabetes, employee emergency, service area clinics, and the Horizon Impact – the greatest needs fund. Donations raised will be used to benefit Horizon’s patients and local clinics in these fund areas.
The annual Employee Giving Campaign is led by a steering committee made up of Horizon employees from across the organization. Joni Sterkel of Martin, SD, is one of the individuals who has been involved since the first campaign. “As a member of the Employee Giving Campaign committee, you get to see firsthand some of the impact made through this campaign,” said Sterkel, Medical Records Clerk. “There comes a time in life when we find out it’s not all about ourselves, but others and what we can do to impact someone else’s life. This is where the return comes in the saying “paying it forward”; our own return is the feeling we get that we truly helped, no matter how large the contribution, but the power of many combined!”
The Horizon Health Foundation was established in 2016 to ensure rural health care access to those in need and provide funding for Horizon Health Care. Horizon Health Foundation, a tax-exempt, non-profit corporation, seeks through responsible activities to encourage and derive sustaining gift support from current and former patients and interested friends, including corporate entities. The Horizon Health Foundation, operating in coordination with Horizon Health Care, is the duly designated fundraising arm for Horizon Health Care. In the broadest sense, the purpose of the Foundation is to create an awareness of the financial needs of Horizon Health Care, which are not provided by patient charges and to systematically implement plans by which dollar needs can be met.
About Horizon Health Care
For over 40 years, Horizon Health Care has been providing personalized, affordable, high-quality medical, dental and mental health care through a rural, community-based network in South Dakota. Horizon is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) that serves the medical, dental and mental health care needs of South Dakotans in rural, medically underserved areas through 110,000 patient visits annually in 32 community health centers in: Aberdeen, Alcester, Bison, Bryant, De Smet, Eagle Butte, Elk Point, Faith, Fort Thompson, Howard, Huron, Isabel, La Plant, Lake Preston, Martin, McIntosh, Mission, Plankinton, Wessington Springs, White River, Woonsocket, and Yankton. For more information please visit www.horizonhealthcare.org.