Why Give

There’s a clock on the sign in front of every location of Jack Morris Auto Glass. Jack will tell you it started as a way to convince city officials to allow him to have a bigger sign. Spend some time with him though, and the clock takes on a new meaning. Time is precious to Jack, and he spends a lot of his helping others—including Methodist Healthcare.

When she talks about cancer, Savanah Stewart doesn’t speak haltingly or in hushed tones. She talks about it the same way she talks about her boyfriend, her chemistry degree or her plans to attend dental school—with the zest and eagerness of someone who has things to do and people to see. Then there’s the gratitude.

Dr. Jeanne Jemison specializes in behavioral pediatrics, and as a Foundation board member she believes, “you don’t get on a board to change its direction. You get on a board that has the same direction as you. Methodist is grounded.”

Since third grade, best friends Arbeny Davis and Kenesha Reed have shared dance lessons, friendship and all the ups and downs of childhood. Now, after a living donor organ transplant, the girls are giving new meaning to the term “friends for life.”

Scott Hennessy is one of nearly 100 volunteers who show up every day to help care for Methodist Hospice patients. For Scott, it’s personal. Both of his parents are deceased and his father was cared for by hospice which led him to this volunteering experience.

“The babies are part of their lives, too. You know they medically shouldn’t be here. It’s thanks to the Methodist team that they are.”  Learn more about their miracle maternity story at Methodist Germantown.

After receiving a kidney transplant, Richard Link struggled with regaining his strength and stamina. Today, he helps other transplant patients stay fit and active by teaching free tai chi classes.

When Debbie Jones' husband took his life after battling depression, she decided to turn tragedy into good. Learn about how Debbie is working with Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare to help other families struggling with depression.

Dixie Laster is a nurse with a special calling to care for the dying and to help make the last days of a person’s life on earth comfortable. She and others like her at Methodist are working to make sure patients and families at the new Methodist Hospice Residence are surrounded by love and light.

Taleka Perry’s clinical and administrative skills—combined with a lifelong love for the hands-on work of hospice caregivers—was exactly what the Hospice Residence team was looking for in a director.

Dr. Marty Carr, Medical Director for the emergency departments at Methodist Healthcare, is a long-time supporter of Methodist and the Foundation.

The law firm Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz is a longtime supporter of Methodist Healthcare. But when illness took one of their own, the firm's connection became personal. Find out why the firm made a commitment to the Methodist Hospice Residence.

After a valiant fight with cancer, Margaret Kirkland made the decision to move to the Methodist Hospice Residence, where she could receive the care she needed and her 12-year-old daughter Hannah could visit her daily.

A lifelong career as a dental hygienist wasn't what prepared Dianne Papasan to be a curator of healing art. It was her broader life experiences that did that.

Dorothy Weems has been volunteering in hospice for ten years. Although she's done everything from retrieving opera recordings to rocking five-day-old babies, what she does most is listen.