Your Gifts...

Philanthropic gifts of all sizes help
St. Joseph Medical Center provide the best care to every patient every day and support medical innovations that benefit many individuals. We are honored to recognize St. Joseph Medical Center Foundation benefactors who belong to our recognition groups and support our mission in many ways. Through their participation, our donors take pride in the personal contribution that they have made as our partners in creating a healthier community.

 
Annual Gift Clubs

The Annual Fund plays an important role at St. Joseph Medical Center. Because Annual Fund gifts comprise one of St. Joseph Medical Center's most significant sources of philanthropic support, we have established Annual Fund Gift Clubs. All gifts to St. Joseph Medical Center Foundation made between July 1 and June 30 will be listed in our annual report. Names of donors who provided gifts of $100 or more will also be listed within their respective Gift Clubs and will be recognized for one year on Annual Fund plaques at both the Bern Township and Downtown Reading campuses.

The names of our seven Gift Clubs evoke the historical and spiritual underpinnings of St. Joe's and are described below. When you give at a Gift Club level, you are helping to make sure that the excellent services, staff and facilities of St. Joe's are there when you or a loved one need them.

1873 Society

The 1873 Society is named for the year in which St. Joseph's Hospital was founded by Msgr. George Bornemann and the Sisters of St. Francis. The most prestigious of our gift clubs, the 1873 Society recognizes donors whose generosity and foresight have a deep impact on St. Joseph's healing mission. Membership is extended to benefactors whose giving in a fiscal year totals $10,000 and above.

St. Joseph Society

This esteemed society is named after the Medical Center's namesake and patron saint. St. Joseph is the patron of the universal church, fathers, carpenters and workers, social justice and a happy death. Membership is extended to benefactors whose giving in a fiscal year totals between $5,000 and $9,999.

Bornemann Society

This society is named for Msgr. George Bornemann, the former pastor of St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church and founder of St. Joseph's Hospital. Msgr. Bornemann's forward thinking led to the 1872 purchase of the Vollmer property at 12th and Walnut Streets and the establishment of St. Joseph's Hospital in 1873, the city's first inpatient hospital. Membership is extended to benefactors whose giving in a fiscal year totals between $2,500 and $4,999.

Sisters of St. Francis Society

This society is named in honor of Sr. Mary Walburga, Sr. Mary Margaret and Sr. Mary Paula, who first opened the doors of St. Joseph's Hospital in 1873, and for all the Sisters of St. Francis who have served and continue to serve St. Joseph Medical Center. Membership is extended to benefactors whose giving in a fiscal year totals between $1,000 and $2,499.

Franciscan Society

This society is named in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of the Sisters of St. Francis and founder of the Franciscan Order. St. Francis also is patron saint of animals, birds, the environment, and all of God's creation. Membership is extended to benefactors whose giving in a fiscal year totals between $500 and $999.

San Damiano Society

This society pays tribute to the San Damiano crucifix which originally hung in the Church of San Damiano in Italy. In 1205, St. Francis was praying in front of the crucifix when he was inspired by the Lord to devote his life to the rebuilding of Christ's church on earth. A reproduction of the San Damiano crucifix hangs in the chapel on the Bern Campus. Membership is extended to benefactors whose giving in a fiscal year totals between $250 and $499.

Carpenter Society

This society honors the humble profession practiced by St. Joseph, our hospital's patron saint. Known as the patron saint of workers, St. Joseph epitomized the qualities of patience, persistence, hard work and sense of duty. Membership is extended to benefactors whose giving in a fiscal year totals between $100 and $249.

By joining an Annual Fund Gift Club, you are helping St. Joe's build a healthy future for our community.

Lifetime of Caring

Leadership gifts continue the remarkable philanthropic tradition that has been a part of St. Joseph Medical Center since its founding. While, St. Joe’s is honored to have the support of many donors, we are particularly blessed by those benefactors who, over the course of their lifetime, display a deep and abiding commitment to our mission and to the health of our community.

To recognize this exemplary giving, St. Joseph Medical Center Foundation established a Lifetime of Caring program. Benefactors who have cumulative giving of $50,000 or more are recognized on a Lifetime of Caring plaque, which is located next to the Neag Lobby in the Bern Medical Center.

Lifetime Giving Levels	Amount of Lifetime Giving
Visionaries in Caring	$5,000,000 and more
Leaders in Caring	$1,000,000 - $4,999,999
Investors in Caring	$500,000 - $999,999
Partners in Caring	$250,000 - $499,999
Friends in Caring	$100,000 - $249,999
Associates in Caring	$50,000 - $99,999

Future gifts made to St. Joseph Medical Center Foundation provide the opportunity to advance to a higher level of Lifetime Caring. We will review cumulative giving annually in July.

Tau Society

The Tau Society members are those benefactors who provide a bequest in their will or another type of planned gift to support our work. There are no membership fees or required gift amounts to join. Members are recognized in the annual report and through a special reception.

In Memory or In Honor

There are many occasions in life which prompt us to give. You may wish to commemorate an anniversary, birthday, holiday, or make your gift in memory of a loved one or friend. Honoring a special person in your life through a gift to the SJMC Foundation is a meaningful way of showing your respect, appreciation and love.

All memorial/honorarium gifts made in between July 1 and June 30 will be listed in the SJMC Foundation’s Annual Report for that fiscal year. Memorial gifts of $500 and more, including cumulative gifts to a single memorial, will be recognized on the Memorial Giving plaque by the Cenerazzo Chapel in the Bern Campus. In Honor gifts of $500 and more, including cumulative gifts to a single tribute, will be recognized on the Gifts & Tributes plaque by the Cenerazzo Chapel in the Bern Campus.

When making your gift, please indicate the name of the person you wish to honor and provide a mailing address as appropriate on the giving form, in a short note or in the memo portion of a check addressed to St. Joseph Medical Center Foundation. We will send notification of your generous gift to the individual or individuals memorialized or honored (gift amount is not disclosed).

Our online giving site and our downloadable donation form instructs us to notify others that you have made a gift in memory or in honor of someone.

Named Giving

St. Joseph Medical Center Foundation is honored to recognize our benefactors whose generosity and faithful commitment extend our healing mission. Gifts of $10,000 or more are eligible for special naming opportunities. Examples include naming a patient room or a key service area. For a complete listing of named giving opportunities, contact Kelly Altland, Vice President, Development at
610-378-2358 or email her at kellyaltland@catholichealth.net.

Celebrating Life's First Steps

One of the greatest moments in life is the birth of a child. A baby breathes new life into a family and a community. It is a magical time and a blessed time.

Families can honor this wonderful gift of life by adding their "little angel's" footprint to our Celebrating Life's First Steps wall in the
St. Joseph's Breidegam Family Birthing Center. For a gift of $250, the baby's footprint, name and birth date will be displayed on a commemorative title within the Birthing Center. The family will also receive a tile of the baby’s footprint as a keepsake. Parents, grandparents, family members and friends can order additional keepsake tiles for $35 each.

To learn more about the program, download a pdf of our brochure or call the Foundation at 610-378-2477.