Bolstering High-Quality Pediatric Care

There’s a particular feeling that John and Karen Mayer get every time they visit Akron Children’s Foundation.

“When we come for a meeting or take a tour, we watch families with their kids,” said John, who’s a member of the hospital’s board of directors. “To think about how the hospital makes such a large impact on so many people and supports these kids on whatever journey they’re on—whether they’re getting ready to come home or only just arrived—you walk through those hallways and think, ‘wow.’”

It’s what inspires John and Karen to give back to our hospital. And recently, the couple decided to make a generous life insurance gift to support Akron Children’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

“The hospital has been part of our past, and we want to help keep it as a part of the community’s present and future,” said Karen. “We’ve seen firsthand the level of care they give in the NICU. And we want that to continue.”

Building community and connection

Over the years, John and Karen donated to our hospital annually and gave their time through various volunteer efforts. This interest and commitment increased when John joined the Akron Children’s Hospital Foundation board of directors and then the hospital board of directors.

“When John started on the board, he came home after each encounter with more and more passion for the organization,” said Karen. “The more we talked about the hospital, the more we realized it was something we wanted to contribute to.”

“The thing that’s most striking for me is having the interaction with children and staff during facility tours,” said John. “You see firsthand the need to continue to support the children, hospital, community and staff and the great job they do.”

It was during one of their tours that John and Karen built a connection with the NICU.

“We were struck by how busy it was,” explained Karen. “You could see the care and dedication of the nurses and physicians. It tugged at our heartstrings.”

Legacy gift provides hope for patients, families and staff to thrive

After considering many different options, John and Karen felt a legacy gift of life insurance was a great option to support the NICU.

“When you see these babies that need support as well as their parents, you ask yourself how you can help,’” said John. “We knew that we wanted to help these children grow into older children and then adults. We also felt that in today’s environment, having the best staff and nursing care is important to help the NICU. So we wanted our gift to help Akron Children’s to provide the best support and training to these professionals in the NICU, as well.”

“We’re extremely grateful to John and Karen for their generosity,” said Christine Young, MSN, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, Grace Wakulchik Endowed Chair for Nursing, chief of hospital-based services and chief nursing officer at Akron Children’s Foundation. “Donors truly help enhance the care we deliver to our NICU patients and families, whether it’s funding life-saving medical equipment like ventilators and isolettes, training equipment for staff and everything in between. John and Karen’s gift will help ensure this care continues well into the future.”

You can make a difference in the lives of our littlest of patients with a gift of life insurance— just like John and Karen Mayer. To learn how you can support Akron Children’s NICU, contact Jason V. Sanders, JD at 330-543-8343 or plannedgiving@akronchildrens.org.