PUTNAM — After more than 25 years of raising funds to help northeastern Connecticut residents prevent and fight cancer, the founders of the Day Kimball Healthcare (DKH) Deary Memorial Cancer Fund are passing the torch to DKH and the wider community. DKH will continue to operate the fund under a new name, the Northeast Connecticut Cancer Fund of DKH, and administrators are looking to the community to continue its historically strong support of the fund through donations and its many associated fund-raising events.
“Through establishment of the fund and these events, the Deary family has played a significant, lasting and meaningful role in the culture of philanthropy and community involvement in our area,” said DKH President and CEO Robert Smanik.
Smanik said it’s important that the community understand that all money donated to the fund will stay with the fund, regardless of whether or not DKH affiliates with a larger system in the future.
“It is a restricted fund and as such will continue to benefit only local patients through DKH, the same as it always has,” Smanik said. “It is also our intention that the many annual fund-raising events that have been developed to support the fund will continue, and we hope that the hearty community support and participation that they have garnered in the past continues and grows as well.”
The Deary family founded the fund in memory of their beloved daughter and sister, Cathy Deary, and later partnered with DKH to put the fund to good use for the local community. Their wish was to ensure that no one in northeastern Connecticut would forego cancer screening because of cost.
More than a quarter-century later, they have achieved that goal and so much more. The fund now provides financial assistance to more than 200 northeastern Connecticut residents in need each year, not just for cancer screening but for treatment as well. Since its inception the fund has raised over $1 million through community donations and multiple annual fund-raising events including the Deary family’s founding event, the Deary Memorial Race, Walk and Ride. The original race was created by local runners Martin Fey and Jimi Gothreau and the former Observer Patriot was the sponsor.
DKH Director of Development Pamela Watts says that although the closing of this chapter is bittersweet for all involved, she feels certain that the community will continue to support the fund and its events as strongly as ever.
“Day Kimball was founded 121 years ago purely on the support of the community,” Watts said. “It has grown and evolved ever since then because of the support of the community, and the efforts of the Deary family are a significant and inspiring chapter in that story.
Along with the Deary family, all of us at Day Kimball are excited to see what the future holds for the growth of the fund and continued community leadership in spearheading its many wonderful fund-raising events.”
.
Then
Above: The Abington Congregational Church around 1900. Photo courtesy of the Pomfret Historical Society.
& Now
The church/meetinghouse today, right.
Reflections
A little bit of water and nature, still full of color in Putnam. More photos on page 6. Linda Lemmon photo.
More state
funding
restored
for DKH
PUTNAM — State Senator Mae Flexer (D-Killingly) and state Representatives Daniel Rovero (D-Killingly) and Christine Rosati-Randall (D-Killingly) last week announced that approximately $1.7 million in hospital funding will be restored to Day Kimball.
This is in addition to the $2.8 million in small hospital funding that was restored to Day Kimball in October. In total, this means that Day Kimball now faces a $1.1 million reduction in state funding during its current fiscal year, down from $5.6 million in cuts that were included in the state budget rescissions made by Governor Malloy in September.
DKH President and CEO Robert Smanik said, “We’re very pleased and relieved that the legislature has restored a significant portion of the cuts to our state funding that were included in the Governor’s rescissions. And we are incredibly thankful to Senator Mae Flexer and Representatives Christine Rosati-Randall and Daniel Rovero for their staunch advocacy of Day Kimball Healthcare during the budget discussions.
"Beginning in February of this year we have seen proposals and actions causing traumatic swings in the funding Day Kimball can expect from the state. With the administration’s budget proposal announced in February, we worked together through the legislative session to restore the funding to then again face cuts in September. Our elected officials on both sides of the aisle fought to restore the cuts.
“Today I am pleased to acknowledge the persistence and success of Senator Flexer, Representative Randall and Rovero, for they have distinguished themselves in their support of community hospitals, especially Day Kimball. Although the final outcome of yesterday’s action still results in the hospital receiving less money this year and next when compared to last year, the significant restoration of funds allows for continued confidence in the financial health of Day Kimball.
“We will need to stay the course on our efforts to reduce expenses and grow our services, but returning stability to our financial picture is crucial to our success. As northeastern Connecticut’s major provider of health care and our region’s largest employer, the stability, strength and growth of Day Kimball is absolutely crucial to the wellbeing of the communities we serve.
“We know the work is not done. The state budget issues persist and the continued cuts to hospitals are not sustainable, yet Senator Flexer and Representatives Randall and Rovero understand this because they’ve taken the time to educate themselves around the extremely complex issues surrounding health care today, and because they know and understand our region so well.
“Their dedication and determination in securing this critical funding means that Day Kimball is in a much better position today to continue providing high quality health care to northeastern Connecticut in the months and years ahead. I look forward to their continued leadership and partnership in that effort.”