For Florida Donors, a Small Thank You

Date: March 1, 2010

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Elwyn and Barbara Powell, surgeon Stephen Yang and his wife, Maria Yang.

Call it “friendraising,” if you will.

Every year for the past seven years, the staff members of the Johns Hopkins Department of Surgery Development Office head to Florida where, with the beaches, boutiques and golf courses of Palm Beach as a backdrop, they spend quality time with some of the institution’s most generous and loyal friends and donors.

This year, during the department’s annual luncheon at The Chesterfield in Palm Beach, 65 people gathered—grateful patients, their family members and alumni—to learn about a few of surgery’s most innovative projects. 

“Having a platform where our chair, Julie Freischlag, our dean, Edward Miller, and members of our faculty can demonstrate the work they are doing and how others can help is critically important,” says Kathleen Hertkorn, director of development for surgery. “It allows us to provide information about the great work of our surgeons and to get our guests interested in the different opportunities to support those efforts.”

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“We want to make the most of the time we get to spend with our donors and patients in Palm Beach” —Kathleen Hertkorn

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Many audience members attended the event because they wanted to hear firsthand what initiatives were in need of support. But, while Hertkorn and her staff  hope to inspire the generosity of those who attend, the event is as much about gratitude as it is fundraising.

“We want to make the most of the time we get to spend with our donors and patients in Palm Beach,” Hertkorn says. “The idea behind this event is to reconnect with our donors who have supported the Department and to thank them for giving.”

To make a gift to the Department of Surgery, contact Kathleen Hertkorn at 410-516-0296 or kprice8@jhmi.edu.