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(HOWARD, SD) – On Tuesday, July 10th, the Horizon Health Foundation announced an endowment gift from Pat Maroney, a long-time Howard resident, at their Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting Celebration.
The Maroney Family Endowment is the first endowment to be established through the Horizon Health Foundation since the Foundation’s conception in 2016. The endowment will be used to support the greatest needs of Horizon Health Care’s patients residing in Miner County.
“Pat, no doubt, has a huge heart and love for the community of Howard and those that live here as a lifelong resident,” said Tracy Pardy, Horizon Health Foundation Director. “It is fitting that our first endowment is from someone as passionate about rural communities as he is. With this gift, Pat is joining our mission and vision to transform patient lives by keeping health care locally based, where the need is the greatest.”
Pat and the Maroney family have been faithful supporters of the community and many local organizations since moving to Howard in 1945. Pat, a graduate of St. Agatha High School in 1961, attended Dakota State University in Madison, SD, and returned to Howard in 1967. Pat’s parents, Roger and Clarice, ran the Oasis Bar (now the Longbranch Bar) in Howard and, in 1945, purchased Mary Ann’s Café (now Maroney’s Bar). Pat owned Maroney’s Bar for more than forty years, taking over the business from his father, who owned the bar for twenty-three years prior. “My family and I spent approximately seventy years in business in Howard,” said Maroney. “We strived to do everything we could to promote the well-being of Howard and Miner County.”
Over the years, Pat has held many leadership positions in the area. He has served as a Miner County Commissioner (11 years), former Vice President of Howard Industries, President of the Jaycees Club, Chairman for the First District Association of Local Governments (three terms), Chairman of the Democratic Party, and Treasurer of the Interlakes Community Action Board. He has also volunteered on numerous boards, including: Miner County Development Corporation, Rural Learning Center, St. Agatha’s Church Council (23 years), and the Howard Public Library Board (38 years). Today, Pat continues to serve on the Dakota State University Board of Directors.
“I am most proud of the relationship we built with our customers, we were proud to call them friends,” said Maroney. “My parents, Roger and Clarice, would consider our efforts a legacy that has to be remembered. That is the main reason I have funded the first endowment for the Horizon Health Foundation, so that they can maintain the current level of health care they provide to rural South Dakota. Howard and Miner County are very fortunate to have the key elements to remain sustainable, such as quality health and dental care, and the jobs created by Horizon Health Care.”
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, Inc. 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, Inc., 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, Inc.
For the past 40 years, Horizon Health Care, Inc. 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 105,000 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.