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Kathie Blomstrand - Committed to Excellence
 A few years ago, Kathie Blomstrand visited a lawyer and drew up a will. In it, she named the Miller-Dwan Foundation as a beneficiary.
Certainly the idea of drawing up a will is nothing new. Nor is a bequest to the Miller-Dwan Foundation. But Kathie is doing something a bit different. She’s an employee who is bequeathing part of her estate to her workplace.
“I’m not a wealthy person, but I believe in giving to worthy causes, and I believe in what our Foundation is doing,” she says in the midst of a hectic day, adding, “I appreciate the way that employees here have input on how Foundation funds are used. There is a policy of very public accounting, and we all appreciate that.”
A native of Duluth, Kathie joined the Miller-Dwan Medical Center staff in January 1973 as a nurse on the night shift of the new critical care unit. Through the years, she acquired her bachelor’s and master’s of nursing degrees, and she progressed to night supervisor, head nurse in intensive care, and day supervisor. In 1984, she was appointed director of the medical/surgical unit and nursing administration.
A casual conversation with Miller-Dwan Foundation president, Pat Burns, planted the idea of making a bequest to the Foundation. “Pat mentioned that a couple affiliated with the Medical Center had left an endowment to the Foundation, and I remember thinking what a nice idea that was,” Kathie says. “I stored the idea in the back of my mind, and when the time came to make a will, I decided that I knew a place where endowment money could do some good.”
She feels strongly about the need for good patient and family education programs and hopes that one day her gift might have an impact in that area. “These education programs are a vital part of what every nurse does, and this is one of those areas where there is a much greater need for funds than third-party payers can provide,” Kathie says. “If we want to provide all the components for quality care, we must rely on gifts from other sources.”
Often, people assume it takes a millionaire to make a major bequest to a Foundation, but that’s not true. She explains, “You don’t have to have a fortune in order to give a gift that will make an impact. If many people like me give, together we’ll be giving a fortune and making a difference.”
Bob and Mary Ellen Owen - Recognizing a Need
Bob and Mary Ellen Owens recognize the multiple needs the Solvay Hospice House fulfills. It’s why they generously included the home in their will, in addition to providing a substantial cash gift. “When you’re audacious enough to dream big enough,” said Mary Ellen, “you become involved.”
As a nurse practitioner and caregiver for numerous dying relatives, she has long been familiar with hospice –– and with extending a helping hand. But her awareness of the spectrum of hospice experience grew by listening to her daughters, who work as nurses in hospice and breast cancer settings. Recently, time spent with a friend who lay dying in a tiny, chairless hospital room only reinforced her desire to help.
“I believe people deserve dignity as they die. A hospice house can be a spiritual place for people. A loving place where families can gather,” May Ellen said.
And for those who give, the benefits go beyond helping others.“I think it’s good for people to deal with their own mortality,” says Mary Ellen. “We celebrate birth, and this is simply the other end. Because if you think about dying, maybe it becomes a little more real and a little less scary.”
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