Kenneth and Ruth Kreismer of Middlesex County believe in supporting institutions that serve their communities well. As former patients of JFK University Medical Center and Old Bridge Medical Center, they considered it a blessing not to have to travel long distances for needed services, and important that their doctors were affiliated with both facilities.
The Kreismers recognized that funding is critical to maintain and expand hospitals — their equipment, technology and services —and attract excellent medical providers committed to compassionate care. “Our belief was that if we appreciate these hospitals, we should help them, including through our estate plan.”
Once they decided to include the hospitals as beneficiaries of their estate, they reached out to their investment advisor and attorney to identify resources they could use to help the hospitals, while not placing a burden on their daily living. They also met with Jacqueline Bartley-Oxley, J.D., vice president of Gift Planning at Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation. “We effortlessly designated our gifts to areas in the hospitals that meant the most to us.”
The Kreimers’ generous giving will benefit the Physical Therapy Department at JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute, cardiology care at JFK University Medical Center and the Emergency Department at Old Bridge Medical Center.
We thank the Kreismers for their wonderful generosity, and know that their meaningful legacy gifts will leave an indelible mark on our hospitals. To learn more about planned giving, visit our Planned Giving website or contact Jacqueline M. Bartley-Oxley, J.D., vice president of Gift Planning, at giftplanning@hmhn.org.
A Ripple Effect of Giving and Love to Benefit Patients
For Sandy Rosamilia and her family, a generous gift made through the Jessica Foundation to support the cancer center expansion project at JFK University Medical Center – given in honor of her granddaughter, Jessica, and her husband, Joseph – is sure to do just that.
Opening Doors: A Transformative Scholarship Makes a Medical Education Possible
The receipt of a $100,000 scholarship helped alleviate the financial burden of a medical education for Elizabeth Titova, a first-year student at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine and a former clinical research coordinator at the Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI).
Iced Coffee for a Good Cause
Iced Coffee Funds Dance Therapy for Children at Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital. Support Child Life programs; donate today.
Bringing Smiles and Hope to Pediatric Patients at JFK University Medical Center
To honor the life of Marisa Tufaro, The Marisa Tufaro Foundation and the Middlesex County community rallied together in her memory, culminating in a heartfelt gesture to support pediatric patients and their loved ones at JFK University Medical Center.
Since December, The Marisa Tufaro Foundation has made a generous multi-part gift to bring smiles to pediatric patients and their families. Generous donations include a portable Starlight Nintendo gaming station, four new iPads with protective cases, more than 700 children’s books, hundreds of toys, and two multi-device charging stations for parents.
In addition, the foundation also made a monetary gift to support the Patient Assistance Fund, which offers relief for families dealing with various personal or medical expenses.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to honor Marisa’s loving memory by supporting her hometown hospital which, incredibly, assisted more than 23,000 patients in its pediatric emergency department last year alone,” says Greg Tufaro, Marisa’s father and co-executive director of the foundation. “We are honored to be able to pay forward the benevolence of our nonprofit’s supporters from across Middlesex County and beyond with donations that can help ease some of the anxiety or stress these pediatric patients may experience and burdens their families may face.”
Born with a complex cardiac defect, Marisa Tufaro survived six open-heart surgeries and a heart transplant before succumbing in January 2017 to a rare form of cancer following a courageous battle. She was just 13 years old.