A steady pace yields marathon results
Through annual giving and special giving days, gifts of all sizes come together to make an impact on the MCV Campus.
The School of Medicine Annual Fund awarded $375,000 in scholarships to 33 students in fiscal year 2023. Photo by Sha Aguado.
Carmella Cole, M'83, made the choice in medical school to specialize in internal medicine. She wanted to stay with patients long-term, to be with them through their challenges and triumphs over the years, and to help manage their health with steady advances that built on past successes.
“Internal medicine fits my personality and my desire to have longitudinal contact with patients for a big chunk of their lives,” she says. “I have patients who I’ve taken care of for 30 years. I remember when they had their kids. I’ve seen them through various illnesses. You get to know a lot about people, and you develop trust.”
In the years since medical school, this mindset has also shaped Cole’s approach to giving back to her alma mater.
Just as decades of consistent advice, guidance and care helped improve her patients’ health, her years of faithful, manageable philanthropic giving — totaling tens of thousands of dollars — has helped the School of Medicine provide a transformative medical education for future physicians and scientists, conduct lifesaving research, and deliver advanced care for central Virginia and beyond.
“The sustained giving of one individual can accumulate over time to make a significant impact that can be just as transformative as a large one-time gift,” says Margaret Ann Bollmeier, president and CEO of the MCV Foundation. “It’s much like a marathon versus a sprint — both are impressive, one just happens to take more time.”
Reducing student debt, one gift at a time
While Cole has thrown in an occasional sprint — endowing a scholarship and supporting capital projects — she’s maintained her steady marathon pace with year-to-year giving to the School of Medicine Annual Fund.
One-hundred percent of the annual fund is used to create scholarships and address the medical school’s most pressing need: reducing the amount of debt medical students carry into residency and their careers.
“For me, giving to the annual fund is a way to express my gratitude for my education and to help with some of the scholarship programs for students who find it difficult to pay tuition,” Cole says. “You have to decide what’s important to you. Medical education and taking care of sick people have always been my focus, so I will continue to support patient care and training the next generation of doctors.”
This kind of support changes the lives of future physicians who, in turn, are already planning to change the way medicine is practiced.
Cole’s gifts through the School of Medicine’s Annual Fund support students like the Class of 2025’s Demitra Chavez.
During her time as a scribe prior to coming to medical school, Chavez saw that — even with a medical interpreter present — communication between providers and Spanish-speaking patients could be a challenge. “The language barrier required physicians to rely more on the physical exam findings,” says Chavez, who holds an Aesculapian Scholarship established through the School of Medicine’s Annual Fund. “I think it led to not having the full physician-patient relationship.”
The immediate past president of the Latino Medical Student Association at VCU and the first person in her family to attend medical school, Chavez is now teaching her classmates best practices to work with interpreters to help bridge the language barrier gap.
She says she is honored and thankful for the scholarship. “This scholarship has already allowed me to do so much within my community, and it has given me the freedom to explore a multitude of interests within the medical field.”
Annual opportunities for matching funds
During school- or university-wide giving days, annual gifts can be amplified by matching opportunities and boosted by a collection of medicine alumni coming together to support one cause.
VCU Giving Day marks a special day for philanthropy. The annual event offers matching challenges across the MCV Campus and the university with opportunities to double your gift throughout the day and monetary rewards for programs that achieve certain goals.
Giving Day 2023 raised $7.8 million through 6,855 gifts. More than $5.5 million of the total raised supported MCV Campus programs and initiatives such as medical student scholarships, VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, VCU Health Pauley Heart Center, VCU Health Hume-Lee Transplant Center and VCU Department of Psychiatry, among others. In 2024, Giving Day will be held on April 24.
“These special days strengthen the long-term impact of consistent giving because they are held annually, but they also shine a light on the power that comes from many people giving collectively in the near-term,” says Nathan G. Bick, executive director of development in the Office of Medical Philanthropy and Alumni Relations. “One person’s impact grows over time, and the more people who subscribe to that giving strategy, the bigger the immediate impact is each year.”
This story was published in the winter 2023-24 issue of 12th & Marshall. You can find the current and past issues online.
On Match Day, alumni are invited to join faculty and friends of the medical school to celebrate graduating students with a gift to the School of Medicine Annual Fund. Every gift, no matter the size, counts toward the goal.
Since the Match Day campaign began in 2021, more than $250,000 has been raised in support of medical student scholarships — helping future physicians reach their own Match Days with less debt. About $100,000 of that total came from matching funds offered to supplement and inspire more giving.
Johnie Tillman, M’78, has faithfully given to the annual fund for a decade, and this year made his gift on Match Day. “I just hope my giving helps people,” he says. “When an opportunity comes to double my contribution through a matching challenge or to show my support for the next generation, it’s a no-brainer.”
Born at St. Philip Hospital — the Medical College of Virginia’s segregated hospital for Richmond’s Black community between 1920 and 1962 – Tillman returned to the MCV Campus two decades later for medical school.
He grew up in Caroline County, Virginia, a rural community that influenced his decision to become a family medicine physician: He wanted to help people from his own community and others like it. Now living outside Augusta, Georgia, his giving today continues that pursuit.
“Giving back to the medical school is a way in which I could perhaps help a student who has limited resources like I did — someone who doesn’t know where they’re going to get the money for medical school,” he says. “I always liked fixing things as a child. That, coupled with my desire to help people, is why I went into medicine, and then I think that overarching desire to help is why I continue to give back.”
Fuel for residency programs
In addition to annual gifts to the School of Medicine, Jeff Blinder, M'76, H'80, F'81, also makes loyal gifts to the Radiology Residents Fund in support of his residency program.
Blinder was at a crossroads in his fourth year of medical school. Having planned and prepared to go into pediatrics for years, he realized that specialty wasn’t the right fit. Luckily, he found Michael Beachley, M.D., H’69, then chair of the radiology department. The two bonded over a similar life experience, and Blinder ultimately became a radiologist.
“The radiology residency program helped me during a bit of an identity crisis. It was a difficult time for me,” he says. “It turned out to be a perfect match, and I went on to become chief resident and stayed on for a fellowship. Within the medical school and within the radiology residency — and maybe it’s a Southern phenomenon — there is this vested kindness and genuine concern for the success of students and housestaff.”
Many of the departments in the medical school have similar funds that benefit their training programs. Such funds may be used at the department’s discretion to support travel to national meetings when residents and fellows are invited to make oral presentations; provide resources for the purchase of books and other references that are useful to all trainees; support senior learners with protected time for diverse laboratory experiences; and bring distinguished speakers to the MCV Campus for an annual lecture.
Blinder has shown his appreciation over the years by supporting the department’s residency fund, making a cumulative impact of tens of thousands of dollars. And he has no intention of slowing down.
He plans to increase his giving once his IRA required minimum distribution begins. Giving to the MCV Foundation from this retirement fund will reduce his income and ultimately his tax bill, he says, while also helping the institution he’s so happy to continue supporting.
“I think it’s very important to recognize kindness, and when you’re in a position to express that gratitude, you don’t hesitate to do so,” he says. “In fact, seek out opportunities to express gratitude for what you’ve been given — and MCV gave me my profession and an opportunity to lead a successful and happy life.”
Carmella Cole, M'83, made the choice in medical school to specialize in internal medicine. She wanted to stay with patients long-term, to be with them through their challenges and triumphs over the years, and to help manage their health with steady advances that built on past successes.
“Internal medicine fits my personality and my desire to have longitudinal contact with patients for a big chunk of their lives,” she says. “I have patients who I’ve taken care of for 30 years. I remember when they had their kids. I’ve seen them through various illnesses. You get to know a lot about people, and you develop trust.”
In the years since medical school, this mindset has also shaped Cole’s approach to giving back to her alma mater.
Just as decades of consistent advice, guidance and care helped improve her patients’ health, her years of faithful, manageable philanthropic giving — totaling tens of thousands of dollars — has helped the School of Medicine provide a transformative medical education for future physicians and scientists, conduct lifesaving research, and deliver advanced care for central Virginia and beyond.
“The sustained giving of one individual can accumulate over time to make a significant impact that can be just as transformative as a large one-time gift,” says Margaret Ann Bollmeier, president and CEO of the MCV Foundation. “It’s much like a marathon versus a sprint — both are impressive, one just happens to take more time.”
Reducing student debt, one gift at a time
While Cole has thrown in an occasional sprint — endowing a scholarship and supporting capital projects — she’s maintained her steady marathon pace with year-to-year giving to the School of Medicine Annual Fund.
One-hundred percent of the annual fund is used to create scholarships and address the medical school’s most pressing need: reducing the amount of debt medical students carry into residency and their careers.
“For me, giving to the annual fund is a way to express my gratitude for my education and to help with some of the scholarship programs for students who find it difficult to pay tuition,” Cole says. “You have to decide what’s important to you. Medical education and taking care of sick people have always been my focus, so I will continue to support patient care and training the next generation of doctors.”
This kind of support changes the lives of future physicians who, in turn, are already planning to change the way medicine is practiced.
Cole’s gifts through the School of Medicine’s Annual Fund support students like the Class of 2025’s Demitra Chavez.
During her time as a scribe prior to coming to medical school, Chavez saw that — even with a medical interpreter present — communication between providers and Spanish-speaking patients could be a challenge. “The language barrier required physicians to rely more on the physical exam findings,” says Chavez, who holds an Aesculapian Scholarship established through the School of Medicine’s Annual Fund. “I think it led to not having the full physician-patient relationship.”
The immediate past president of the Latino Medical Student Association at VCU and the first person in her family to attend medical school, Chavez is now teaching her classmates best practices to work with interpreters to help bridge the language barrier gap.
She says she is honored and thankful for the scholarship. “This scholarship has already allowed me to do so much within my community, and it has given me the freedom to explore a multitude of interests within the medical field.”
Annual opportunities for matching funds
During school- or university-wide giving days, annual gifts can be amplified by matching opportunities and boosted by a collection of medicine alumni coming together to support one cause.
VCU Giving Day marks a special day for philanthropy. The annual event offers matching challenges across the MCV Campus and the university with opportunities to double your gift throughout the day and monetary rewards for programs that achieve certain goals.
Giving Day 2023 raised $7.8 million through 6,855 gifts. More than $5.5 million of the total raised supported MCV Campus programs and initiatives such as medical student scholarships, VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, VCU Health Pauley Heart Center, VCU Health Hume-Lee Transplant Center and VCU Department of Psychiatry, among others. In 2024, Giving Day will be held on April 24.
“These special days strengthen the long-term impact of consistent giving because they are held annually, but they also shine a light on the power that comes from many people giving collectively in the near-term,” says Nathan G. Bick, executive director of development in the Office of Medical Philanthropy and Alumni Relations. “One person’s impact grows over time, and the more people who subscribe to that giving strategy, the bigger the immediate impact is each year.”
This story was published in the winter 2023-24 issue of 12th & Marshall. You can find the current and past issues online.
On Match Day, alumni are invited to join faculty and friends of the medical school to celebrate graduating students with a gift to the School of Medicine Annual Fund. Every gift, no matter the size, counts toward the goal.
Since the Match Day campaign began in 2021, more than $250,000 has been raised in support of medical student scholarships — helping future physicians reach their own Match Days with less debt. About $100,000 of that total came from matching funds offered to supplement and inspire more giving.
Johnie Tillman, M’78, has faithfully given to the annual fund for a decade, and this year made his gift on Match Day. “I just hope my giving helps people,” he says. “When an opportunity comes to double my contribution through a matching challenge or to show my support for the next generation, it’s a no-brainer.”
Born at St. Philip Hospital — the Medical College of Virginia’s segregated hospital for Richmond’s Black community between 1920 and 1962 – Tillman returned to the MCV Campus two decades later for medical school.
He grew up in Caroline County, Virginia, a rural community that influenced his decision to become a family medicine physician: He wanted to help people from his own community and others like it. Now living outside Augusta, Georgia, his giving today continues that pursuit.
“Giving back to the medical school is a way in which I could perhaps help a student who has limited resources like I did — someone who doesn’t know where they’re going to get the money for medical school,” he says. “I always liked fixing things as a child. That, coupled with my desire to help people, is why I went into medicine, and then I think that overarching desire to help is why I continue to give back.”
Fuel for residency programs
In addition to annual gifts to the School of Medicine, Jeff Blinder, M'76, H'80, F'81, also makes loyal gifts to the Radiology Residents Fund in support of his residency program.
Blinder was at a crossroads in his fourth year of medical school. Having planned and prepared to go into pediatrics for years, he realized that specialty wasn’t the right fit. Luckily, he found Michael Beachley, M.D., H’69, then chair of the radiology department. The two bonded over a similar life experience, and Blinder ultimately became a radiologist.
“The radiology residency program helped me during a bit of an identity crisis. It was a difficult time for me,” he says. “It turned out to be a perfect match, and I went on to become chief resident and stayed on for a fellowship. Within the medical school and within the radiology residency — and maybe it’s a Southern phenomenon — there is this vested kindness and genuine concern for the success of students and housestaff.”
Many of the departments in the medical school have similar funds that benefit their training programs. Such funds may be used at the department’s discretion to support travel to national meetings when residents and fellows are invited to make oral presentations; provide resources for the purchase of books and other references that are useful to all trainees; support senior learners with protected time for diverse laboratory experiences; and bring distinguished speakers to the MCV Campus for an annual lecture.
Blinder has shown his appreciation over the years by supporting the department’s residency fund, making a cumulative impact of tens of thousands of dollars. And he has no intention of slowing down.
He plans to increase his giving once his IRA required minimum distribution begins. Giving to the MCV Foundation from this retirement fund will reduce his income and ultimately his tax bill, he says, while also helping the institution he’s so happy to continue supporting.
“I think it’s very important to recognize kindness, and when you’re in a position to express that gratitude, you don’t hesitate to do so,” he says. “In fact, seek out opportunities to express gratitude for what you’ve been given — and MCV gave me my profession and an opportunity to lead a successful and happy life.”
A trio of societies give donors a way to support causes they care about.
Aesculapian Society
Founded in 1989 and named for the Greco-Roman god of medicine, the Aesculapian Society recognizes donors who support the School of Medicine Annual Fund with gifts of $1,000 or more over the course of one year. Aesculapian scholarships are used to recruit top incoming medical students as well as to reward current students who demonstrate outstanding merit.
Massey Club
For more than 30 years, the Massey Club has recognized VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center’s leadership annual giving donors who make cumulative unrestricted gifts totaling $1,000 or more in a single year. Massey Club donors lead by example to fuel innovation, shape the future of cancer research and, ultimately, save lives.
Pauley Society
Established in 2020 by the Pauley Advisory Board, the Pauley Society unites annual donors of $1,000 or more who want to help the VCU Health Pauley Heart Center improve cardiovascular care for all. The society provides the center with a reliable base of support to ensure its priority programs, research and education continue.