Donor Stories
Be Inspired
These are the stories of the generous donors that make what we do possible!
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- Donor Stories

Treating minds and changing lives
Quality mental health services are critical to people struggling for access to limited resources. Thanks to Bridgeport Hospital’s REACH Program, patients in Fairfield County are able to receive life-altering care. “We couldn’t be offering this type of program without the support we receive from the community,” said Charles Morgan, MD, chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral…

A legacy in memory of a life lost too soon
A number of hospital protocols related to perinatal loss have evolved from the work of the Joseph Keane Fund, including the placement of a lily magnet on the doorframe of patients’ rooms who experience the loss of a baby so that hospital staff can immediately recognize and be sensitive to the situation. They decided to…

Never too young to give back
Meghan McCloat, 28, and Brooke Bento, 30, may be young, but they are already leaving their mark on the world of charitable giving. Considered veterans of the Norma Pfriem Breast Center President’s Council, they joined at the tender ages of 25 and 24, respectively. Both jumped immediately into fundraising for the Center. Meghan co-chairs Pink…

Friends of Pediatrics
For more than 125 years, the Friends of Pediatrics has been changing the way children and infants are cared for at Bridgeport Hospital. Founded in 1893 as the “Woman’s Staff for Children’s Ward at Bridgeport Hospital,” the organization began when a small group of local women came together with the mission to create a space…

Passion to change health care
Personal challenges, life-changing opportunities spark passion to change health care During her decade at Bridgeport Hospital, Gina Calder has met many patients, and heard stories both heartbreaking and inspiring. She remembers one young woman in particular: a patient at Bridgeport Hospital’s Primary Care Center who wanted to attend Yale University. “Academically, she could have done…

The gift of time
“What’s a nice retired guy like you doing in an Emergency Department like this?” is a conversation starter that Bob Kilton has probably heard more times than he would care to admit, but one of which he never grows weary. You know just by the way he smiles, a slight grin that sets of a…

Partnership fights breast cancer
The Boehringer Ingelheim Cares Foundation teams with the Norma Pfriem Breast Center to increase healthcare access. Access to care. This principle started the partnership between the Norma Pfriem Breast Center and theBoehringer Ingelheim Cares Foundation (BI Cares), nearly 10 years ago. BI Cares is the independent nonprofit arm of pharmaceutical leader Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., based in Ridgefield, CT.…

Grateful hearts
A cardiac patient and his family donate to the new Hybrid OR. Southport residents Bill and Donna Waltrip crisscrossed the country during his years as an executive in the airline industry, living in Denver; Washington, DC; Miami; and New York City. Originally from Tulsa, OK, the couple were childhood playmates. They met in a treehouse. “Bill belonged to the…

A force in fundraising
The Bridgeport Hospital Auxiliary supports the hospital,one project at a time. The all-volunteer Bridgeport Hospital Auxiliary partners with Bridgeport Hospital and its Foundation to raise funds for specific projects. Since its inception almost 60 years ago, the Auxiliary has contributed over $4.5 million to Bridgeport Hospital. “We have a chance to look at what is needed both inside and…