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Doctor’s Day: Honoring the Hands that Heal
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Every day across our East Valley hospitals, physicians step into moments that change lives. Doctor’s Day, celebrated March 30, is an opportunity to pause and reflect on a doctor who made a difference. For many patients, that difference comes at a turning point. Hospital physicians often meet people on the hardest day of their lives. In those moments, they guide a new trajectory of care, offering skill, reassurance, and hope.
We hear it often: a good doctor creates a ripple effect. When physicians lead with compassion and clarity, the entire care team rises with them. Nurses feel it. Patients feel it. Families feel it. Sometimes the gratitude is simple: “Thank you for making a difference when I was at my lowest.”
Philanthropy supports physicians in ways patients may never see. Donor generosity provides advanced training for emergency medicine residents, including hands-on difficult airway simulation that prepares them to act quickly and confidently when seconds truly matter. It brings innovative technology, like extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), which can temporarily support the heart and lungs during critical illness. It strengthens heart and neuro programs, ensuring patients have access to leading specialists close to home.
Most of all, Doctor’s Day gives physicians a rare moment to stop and feel appreciated. A gift made in their honor allows us to share your message directly with them, reminding them that their dedication matters.
This March 30, we invite you to honor a physician who has impacted your life. Share a message of gratitude, make a gift in their honor, or both. When you give through our Doctor’s Day page, we ensure your words of appreciation are shared directly with the physician you choose to recognize.
Because sometimes the most meaningful words
are simply, “Thank you.” — and your generosity
helps those words go even further.
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Investing in Tomorrow’s Physicians
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When patients say it is harder than ever to schedule an appointment, they are not imagining it. Our region is growing, and physicians are stretched thin. One of the most effective ways to close that gap is to train doctors here in the East Valley.
In our Graduate Medical Education programs, physician residents specialize in Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, General Surgery, Emergency Medicine, and OB/GYN and care for patients alongside exceptional attending physicians. They often spend more time listening, asking deeper questions, and studying each case after the visit. Patients are cared for by both a resident and a supervising physician, creating an added layer of attention and expertise.
The impact extends beyond hospital walls. Family Medicine residents help lead a prescription food box program for low-income families and rotate through a free children’s medical clinic in downtown Chandler. They are learning not only how to treat illness, but how to serve a community.
By July this year, more than 110 residents will be training across our hospitals. Because 75% of physicians practice where they complete residency, every investment in medical education today helps ensure compassionate, skilled care for our community tomorrow.
Learn More »
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Driving Support for Young Athletes
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On February 20, community members gathered under the lights at Grass Clippings at Rolling Hills in Tempe for another unforgettable Swinging for Sports Medicine. Presented by Royal Spine Surgery and BTL, this night golf event brought together good company and a great cause under the lights.
Hosted by board member Alexis Richards and her husband Garrett, a retired MLB player, the event supports the endowment established in memory of Dr. Terry Happel, former Chief Medical Officer, to benefit Dignity Health’s Sports Medicine program. Today, this program serves more than 30,000 student athletes across 45 junior high and high schools in Maricopa and Pinal counties.
Rather than relying on coaches to manage injuries, participating schools have access to professional athletic trainers who monitor heat-related illness, guide safe return-to-play decisions, connect families with orthopedic specialists, and follow up to ensure athletes receive the care they need. Philanthropy helps make this elevated level of care accessible for schools and student athletes.
With nearly 110 golfers, generous sponsors, lively auction activity, and strong community spirit, this year’s event was a rousing success. We are deeply grateful to Alexis and Garrett Richards, our event sponsors, all of the Major League Baseball players and every participant who helped strengthen care for young athletes in our local community.
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FreeWill: A Legacy of Kindness
Tax season often prompts us to think about the future. It is also a meaningful time to complete or update your will or trust. Through our partnership with FreeWill, you can create or revise your estate plan at no cost and include a gift to Dignity Health Foundation East Valley.
During Acts of Kindness Week, a national celebration encouraging intentional generosity, consider this: naming a nonprofit in your will is a lasting act of kindness.
FreeWill research shows that planned gifts and IRA designations are among the most powerful ways to create long-term impact. If you have already begun your plan, we invite you to finish it.
Learn More »
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George Rozsa Golf Classic:
Be the Ball. Be the Impact.
The fairways are calling. On Wednesday, April 8, the George Rozsa Golf Classic returns to Whirlwind Golf Club for a day of friendly competition and powerful impact. Registration opens at 6 a.m., with an 8 a.m. shotgun start across two 18-hole courses, plus lunch and on-course fun like Beat the Pro.
With a goal of $250,000, this signature event helps meet the most urgent needs of our hospitals. We are especially grateful to our loyal returning presenting sponsor, Santé, Alante, Aleca - the Alumus family of companies. Their leadership continues to set the pace for this event and we invite you to join them as a sponsor or golfer.
Learn More or Register » |
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Remembrance Run: Every Name Matters
Since 2015, the Family Remembrance Run has brought our community together to honor babies gone too soon and support the Heaven’s Hummingbirds infant bereavement program. For many families, this event is their moment to say a name out loud, carry a photo, and remember a life that will always matter.
Funds raised sustain monthly support groups, grief resources, care boxes, keepsakes, photography, and dedicated staff at Chandler and Mercy who walk alongside parents in their darkest hours.
Join us Saturday, May 2 at 7 a.m. at Tumbleweed Park. Register, form a team, or make a gift.
Learn More »
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| Upcoming Events |
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24th Annual George Rozsa Golf Classic
Join us at Whirlwind Golf Club for the 24th Annual George Rozsa Golf Classic! This tournament supports the greatest needs of our nonprofit medical centers and the patients we serve.
Become a Sponsor!
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Family Remembrance Run
Join us for the annual Family Remembrance Run, a meaningful 5K/1-mile walk/run honoring the precious babies lost to miscarriage, stillbirth, or neonatal complications, lovingly remembered as our Heaven's Hummingbirds.
Come together with families, friends, and the community as we walk in remembrance and celebrate the enduring love that connects us all.
Register Now! |
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