Each year, the WakeMed Foundation’s Community Campaign offers an opportunity to support hospital programs and services. We connected with Dana Green, a local marketing leader and Chair of the Community Campaign, to talk about why serving WakeMed and the community is important to her.
When I moved to Raleigh about nine years ago, I wanted to give back — that’s something I’ve always been called to do. I connected with the Friends of WakeMed (now the WakeMed Foundation Community Campaign), volunteered, and learned a lot. The stories I heard made me realize how impactful WakeMed is and how important the dollars raised through the campaign are.
When I talk to others about WakeMed, I’m encouraged to share that 100% of donations to the Community Campaign go directly back to WakeMed. Every single dollar and every single cent goes directly to the WakeMed mission.
‘Welcomed No Matter What’
There are so many amazing parts of the WakeMed Way. I’m inspired by the people working at WakeMed who are enhancing technology and finding new ways to be creative with care, whether it’s through pet therapy or the exoskeleton or simulation labs. The innovation is phenomenal. I’m in awe every day that things like that are going on at WakeMed. Not everyone knows about it or sees that behind-the-scenes work, but if something were to happen to you, the technology is available. It’s right here.
I’ve also realized how passionate I am about children in our community. As our most vulnerable population, they need support more now than ever. They need clothing, food, shelter — and they need access to quality healthcare. It’s essential. I have two young boys of my own, so children’s healthcare hits home. I’m encouraged that WakeMed is a healthcare facility that serves anyone at any age regardless of their ability to pay.
At WakeMed, there is a pyramid of care, and at the top is the patient and the family. The patient and family always come first.
WakeMed is a healthcare provider that’s constantly evolving to our community’s needs. Personally, that makes me feel safe. I know I’ll feel welcomed no matter what and that I will get the quality care that I deserve, that my family deserves, and that my neighbors deserve.
2020 Community Impact
Leading the WakeMed Foundation Community Campaign was an opportunity I couldn’t say no to. Stepping into the role during a global pandemic was certainly unpredictable! The campaign thrives on being in person, sharing stories, and seeing impact firsthand, and we just couldn’t do that in 2020. We tried to use technology to our advantage and luckily the community wonderfully supported us.
The Community Campaign raised $1 million for COVID-19 care and relief efforts, and then kept the momentum going from there. We went totally virtual and engaged people in a different way. Volunteers had to think outside the box of how to share and fundraise. We had people teach yoga outside, socially distanced; we had partnerships with local businesses and restaurants where a percentage of sales went back to WakeMed.
Fundraising last year wasn’t just about WakeMed. It was about building up our community, maintaining access to quality healthcare, and supporting those who most support us.
Thanks to the community’s support, we raised over $5 million in 2020. The Community Campaign was wildly successful given the circumstances. Together, we were able to equip WakeMed to continue doing what they do best: provide healing environments to make patients feel safe and cared for, even and especially during a tough time.
About Dana Green
Dana Green is Marketing Manager at Brasfield & Gorrie, one of the nation’s largest privately held construction companies. Dana has been involved with WakeMed on a volunteer level for almost a decade, first with Friends of WakeMed and then with the WakeMed Foundation. In 2020 she stepped in as chair of the WakeMed Foundation Community Campaign, working closely with fellow volunteers, Foundation staff, and the community at large to share the WakeMed mission even when in-person gatherings aren’t possible.
What is the Community Campaign?
Each year, the WakeMed Foundation Community Campaign offers an opportunity for the community — for you — to support hospital programs and services. Foundation board members and volunteers raise donations and sponsorships of every amount from existing and new donors. One hundred percent of donated dollars go directly to fund programs and services to support patient care in all areas of the hospital. Creating healing environments. Providing innovative programs. Investing in skilled and compassionate caregivers. Supporting the urgent needs of our patients and families. Donations make it all possible. Your gift truly helps save and transform lives. Make a gift now.
