Blessing Health System Honor Card allows buyer to donate money in name of loved one or friend

QUINCY — It would be wonderful to cure heart disease, cancer or diabetes for loved ones and friends this holiday season. Those “gifts” are out of the reach of most people. What is possible is to help those living with these diseases through a Blessing Health System Honor Card.

The buyer of an Honor Card donates an amount of their choosing to a Blessing healthcare service of their choosing in the name of a loved one or friend. The honoree receives a card in the mail telling them of the donation made in their honor, and the money donated goes to support someone in need who is receiving care from the designated service.

The Blessing Foundation manages the Honor Card program. The Foundation raises, manages and disperses charitable donations on behalf of Blessing healthcare services to assist patients who have medical needs but face financial challenges.

Ann Awerkamp Dickson, administrative director of the Blessing Foundation, says the Honor Card offers an individualize gift-giving experience.

In a press release, Awerkamp Dickson said, “After their refrigerator broke down recently, a patient with diabetes used a picnic-type cooler and bags of ice that needed to be replaced daily to store their insulin. Upon learning this, Blessing Foundation donors replaced the refrigerator for the patient. An Honor Card, in the name of a close friend or relative who has everything they need, sent on behalf of the Diabetes Patient Care Fund, assists people — just like the person with no refrigerator for their insulin — with a basic necessity that could save their life.

“The Honor Card actually gifts two people at the same time – the honoree and the recipient. An exceptional value for an exceptional cause, improving the health of our communities.”

A list of funds to which donations can be made is available by contacting the Blessing Foundation at 217-223-8400, ext. 4800 or BlessingFoundation@blessinghealth.org.