The Gift of Giving

Dave Stevenson has been involved with the hospital’s Board of Trustees and Advisors for nearly twenty years; Mary Ellen has an even longer history with the hospital.

“I lived in Needham as a child, moved away, and returned in seventh grade," says Mary Ellen Stevenson. "My mother volunteered at the (then Glover) hospital. I recall going door to door with her asking for donations when I was only 12 years old. Our children were born at the hospital in 1969 and 1972.”

When Dave retired from Arthur Andersen in 1998, his friend Bill Meagher (then board chair of the hospital) asked him to get involved. From the start, Dave helped with philanthropic endeavors. “The board in 1999 was primarily friends in our age group from Needham. We saw that the board and management needed to be modernized in many ways in order to survive and become competitive in the increasingly complex health care environment.”

Today, Dave and Mary Ellen are proud of how the hospital has transformed into the world-class institution they envisioned two decades ago. Dave is gratified by the many accomplishments of those he encouraged to join the board and share in the importance and privilege of being able to help the hospital. As one example, he cites the impact of former Trustee and now fellow Board of Advisors member Greg Hoffmeister: “Greg feels strongly and speaks eloquently about what BID Needham has meant to his family—grandparents, siblings, and children. With people like him to lead the next generation, we are confident about the future of our hospital.”

Mary Ellen and Dave now live predominately in Naples, Florida, but reside in Dedham for part of the year; and they still maintain their link to BID Needham. “I think it’s our history and a sense of real progress and accomplishment over the last 20 years,” says Dave. The couple agrees that whether as patients, volunteers, board members, or donors, they feel “included, listened to, respected, and involved. Our connection to the hospital remains strong.”

Together the Stevensons have given nearly $500,000 to the hospital, in addition to the support of their other favorite charities: their church in Naples and Dave’s alma mater, Bowdoin College.

Dave states: “I never imagined our collective giving would have amounted to that level when we first got involved. We’re blessed with reasonably good health. We live in two generous and caring communities. We are not into material possessions. We get our satisfaction by volunteering and giving to our favorite charities.”

Through the years, Mary Ellen and Dave have been recipients of care at BID Needham. While they stress they do not want or expect special treatment, every person they encounter at the hospital is welcoming and genuinely helpful. Their longtime relationships with Drs. Earle Woodman, Chris Salvo, Tom Connolly, Steve Cohen, Joe Kannam, Mark Haffenreffer, and Peter Ostrow have earned their trust and loyalty. Mary Ellen recently saw Dr. Stephen Eyre, the chair of urology, for a chronic condition. “When I saw him for the first time, he sat beside me, looked me in the eye, and said, ‘Tell me about yourself.’ I thought it was wonderful. He wanted to know what I had to say.” Endocrinologist Holly Kilim, MD, is another new favorite of theirs.

The Stevenson’s most recent gift, to name a space in the cardiology unit of the new Outpatient Clinical Center, is a reflection of their long-term commitment to the hospital. “We have loved being a part of this caring community. While we don’t have unlimited resources, we feel fortunate to have been able to help the hospital in the past and we hope to be able to do more.”