What
is the Capital Medical Society Foundation?
The mission of the Capital Medical Society
Foundation is to support the charitable efforts of physicians
and others,
increase access to healthcare, promote education and serve
the community’s health needs through innovative projects
that are exemplary, affordable and dignified.
Since 1975, a charitable foundation has operated
alongside the Capital Medical Society. The Foundation for
Medical
Care of the Big Bend Area of Florida was incorporated in
1975 and in 1981 the Foundation officially changed to its
current name, the Capital Medical Society Foundation. The
Foundation directed its efforts toward education, social
services and healthcare. The founding board was:
- Jack W. MacDonald, M.D., President
- William Price, M.D., Vice President
- Robert Johnson, M.D., Secretary
- Robert Webster, M.D.
- Donald Alford, M.D.
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- Alex Brickler, M.D.
- Calvin Curry, M.D.
- Joel Kramer, M.D.
- George Slade, M.D.
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In December of 1983, the Foundation purchased the office
located at 1204 Miccosukee Road for the Capital Medical Society,
with the help of Mr. Buddy Strauss and Mr. Block Smith, moving
the CMS location from Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. Renting
out one side of the building enabled the Foundation to pay
off the mortgage on the building, along with pledges to the
Foundation and a loan from Sun Bank. The building is now
owned debt-free by the Foundation.
The Foundation’s mission statement
was drafted by an ad hoc committee comprised of: Brian
Sheedy, M.D., Ken
Wasson, M.D., Chuck Manning, M.D., Jim Stockwell, M.D., Bill
Keeper, M.D. and Karen Wendland. The Capital
Medical Society Foundation's Board of Directors voted
to approve the mission statement.
“Our mission helps to focus and energize our efforts to
improve the health and well-being of our community, “ says
Dr. John Mahoney, CMS Foundation President. “Our
fellow physicians have a long, impressive history of giving
their time, treasure and talent. The Foundation’s
goal is to raise funds to support these charitable endeavors,” said
Mahoney. The Ronald G. Pickett Memorial Fund
This memorial
fund is named for the brother of the first executive director
of the CMS, Diane Pickett. Sadly, he
died at a young age of cancer and the family established
a memorial fund in his name. The family donated $25,000
and the CMS Foundation matched their donation. Interest
earned on this fund is donated to programs that
deal directly with the care and treatment of cancer.
Medical School Scholarships
These annual scholarships
go to deserving, first or second year students enrolled in
Florida State University’s
College of Medicine. Many of these scholarship recipients
are local residents who return to our area to practice
medicine after they complete their training. Before the
FSU College of Medicine opened, the CMS Foundation gave
scholarships to PIMS students at FSU. To date, the CMS Foundation has donated more than $130,000 in scholarships.
The CMS Foundation also gives an annual "Access to Care Award" to a graduating senior from the FSU - College of Medicine, who has worked actively to increase access to medical care to underserved populations. The "Access to Care Award" is a $1,000 cash award.
Charitable Donations to Healthcare Related
Groups
Because the Foundation seeks to fund exemplary
community healthcare projects, that increase access to healthcare,
they carefully select and make donations to different local
charities each year. Recipients include the Florida Institute of Rehabilitation Education
(F.I.R.E.), the Big Bend
Homeless Coalition, Big Bend Hospice and the Big Bend Regional Healthcare Information Organization (BBRHIO).
In the past, the CMS Foundation has
given leadership gifts to projects such as the Refuge House
Capital Campaign and
the Hospice House Endowment Fund. The Tallahassee Physicians
Association dissolved operations in 1997, leaving a charitable
grant to be administered by the CMS Foundation. The TPA gave
$150,000 from remaining administrative funds to be donated
to non-profit organizations demonstrating the ability to
contribute positively to the health status of the Tallahassee
community in 1998, 1999 and 2000. Some recipients were Big
Bend Hospice, Care Net and the Children’s Home Society
Early Intervention Program.
We Care Network
Status of the We Care Network
Thank You ...
to our CMS members and We Care partners who see patients for the We Care Network. See the most recent We Care volunteers and statistics.
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In 1992, CMS physicians created
the We Care Network. Today, more than 325 volunteer physicians
provide donated specialty
medical treatment and hospitalization to uninsured residents
of Leon, Gadsden, Jefferson and Wakulla counties. The We
Care Network is a collaboration between physicians, hospitals and other allied health professionals,
which have donated more than $35 million in specialty
care
to needy patients since 1992.
The CMS Foundation writes grants specifically to raise funds
for the We Care Network. This financial support pays for
the administrative costs of case managers, who
manage the flow of patients in and out of the We Care Network.
Capital Health Plan, The Charles A. Frueaff Foundation, Inc.,
The Community Human Services Partnership, Leon County Health
Department, The Perkins Foundation, The Blue Foundation and the Tallahassee
Rotary Club have all been donors.
Dr. Charles Williams wrote his well-known book, Simpler
Times, in 1993. When this book was published
Dr. Williams pledged a percentage of book sales to the CMS
Foundation,
designated for the We Care Network. Simpler Times can
be purchased at the Capital Medical Society or the Tallahassee
Memorial Hospital gift shop. To date, proceeds to We Care
have totaled more than $6,000.
Project Dental Care
In December 2003, the physicians of the We Care Network
started working with the Leon County Dental Society to
create Project Dental Care, recruiting 48 local dentists
to provide donated dental services to low-income, uninsured
patients. These donated dental services are coordinated by
our same medical social workers within the We Care Network. Project Dental Care also operates six dental clinic days per year, in conjunction with the dental program at the Leon County Health Department. More than 320 dental patients are treated each year — with a value of $95,000 in donated services. Project Dental Care has made great progress in 2007-08. If you would like more information about this program, please contact Ashley Crowley at 942-7963.
Annual Holiday Auction
A Holiday Auction is the Foundation’s
annual fundraising event. Held at the beginning of December,
it garners impressive community-wide support with sponsorships and/or donated auction items from
local businesses. CMS members can support the Holiday
Auction by attending, donating something for the auction or making
a donation.
How Can You Help?
The CMS Foundation seeks ways to fund its many
fine programs. In addition to cash donations, the Foundation
also accepts donations in the form of real estate, securities,
art objects, library collection, equipment, furnishings,
gift stock donations, endowed gifts and cash.
Planned giving is also an option. Planned giving
is broadly defined as that which is provided for legally
by a donor during the donor’s lifetime. The principle
benefits of a planned gift may not insure the Foundation until
some future date when certain conditions have occurred or
time has elapsed. Planned giving may also involve the reservation
of benefits for the donor or some other individual or individuals.
The instruments by which planned giving is evidenced by a
last will and testament, a trust agreement, an insurance
policy, or some other legal document.
Memorial gifts are a very dignified and thoughtful
way to remember your CMS Foundation. When a loved one passes
away, many times families will suggest making a donation
to a charitable organization instead of sending flowers.
A gift to the Capital Medical Society Foundation supports
the charitable efforts of physicians. Memorial gifts to the
CMS Foundation are the perfect way to support a physician
going through the loss of a cherished friend or family member.
The Foundation is a 501(c)3 corporation, meaning
that all contributions made to the CMS Foundation are tax
deductible. If you are interested in learning more about
the Foundation or would like to make a donation, please call
877-9018.
THE CAPITAL MEDICAL SOCIETY
FOUNDATION, INC MEETS ALL REQUIREMENTS SPECIFIED BY THE
FLORIDA SOLICITATION OF CONTRIBUTIONS ACT. A COPY OF THE
OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE
OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING
TOLL FREE WITHIN THE STATE (1-800-435-7352). REGISTRATION
DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL OR RECOMMENDATION
BY THE STATE. REGISTRATION NUMBER: SC-12222. 100% OF ALL
DONATIONS GO DIRECTLY TO THE CAPITAL MEDICAL SOCIETY FOUNDATION.
Contributing to the Endowment Fund
The Capital
Medical Society Foundation is planning for the future by
establishing an Endowment Fund. The purpose of
this fund is to create ongoing financial
stability for the CMS Foundation, as it seeks to fulfill its mission through
its many charitable endeavors in the Tallahassee area.
The mission of the Capital Medical Society
Foundation is to support the charitable efforts of physicians
and others,
increase access to healthcare, promote education and serve
the community’s health needs through innovative projects
that are exemplary, affordable and dignified.
The Endowment Fund was established with $30,000 in 2003.
Since then, the Frueauff Foundation has adopted a leadership
role in growing our endowment fund, with gifts totaling more
than $40,000. Individual physicians have made generous donations. Today, the Endowment Fund is over $300,000.
The CMS Foundation’s premier charitable
endeavor is its We Care Network. Therefore, as part of
its endowment
initiative, the CMS Foundation has also created a separate
endowment fund specifically for the We Care Network. The
fund began with a $20,000 gift from The Frueauff Foundation.
The Capital Medical
Society Foundation Board of Directors has established and will oversee the
Endowment Fund, under
the auspices of its Gift Acceptance Policy and Investment
Policy. The Endowment Fund operates under the CMS Foundation’s
501(c)3 tax status, as designated by the IRS.
If you would
like to make a donation to the CMS Foundation’s
Endowment Fund, please call the CMS office at 877-9018. Make
your donation check out to: CMS Foundation Endowment Fund. Please
designate it as “We Care Network Endowment,”
if you would like your donation to specifically support the
We Care Network. Mail your check to: Capital Medical Society
Foundation, 1204 Miccosukee Road, Tallahassee, FL 32308. |