Guild Invests in the Healthcare Professionals of Tomorrow
Through several generations, dedicated members of our community have given their time, talent, creativity and hard work to raise funds for Thompson Health.
Growing up on a farm in a multi-generational household, Diane Hayton and her five siblings did without a number of things as the family worked to make ends meet. The childrens’ college education seemed out of the question.
However, Diane was determined to become the first in her family to pursue post-secondary education following her graduation from Honeoye High School in 1982. Drawn to the idea of nursing, she found a two-year program at Finger Lakes Community College. Diane fully intended to pay for her college tuition entirely with babysitting money. Prior to her starting at FLCC, a letter arrived in her mailbox from the Thompson Health Guild congratulating her on receiving the Guild’s very first $500 scholarship for high school seniors.
“I was in total shock. It really meant the world to me. That was another 500 hours I wouldn’t have had to babysit,” she recalled, noting $1 per hour was the going rate at the time.
Diane was too shy to have her picture taken at the Guild luncheon, but 40 years later at our F.F. Thompson Foundation’s 2022 Field of Dreams Gala, she stepped up to the microphone and told her story to the more than 260 people who had gathered to support our Healthcare Education Fund. She spoke not only as a scholarship recipient, but as the Director of Nursing at our M.M. Ewing Continuing Care Center, where she mentors younger colleagues who are eager to advance their own careers with the help of a little financial boost.
“I feel like I’ve come full-circle in a way,” said Diane, who joined Thompson in 2020 after many years in acute and long-term care.
The Guild has built upon its program over the years; now five $2,000 scholarships are awarded every year. This year, they were awarded to students from Penn Yan, Marcus Whitman, Bloomfield, Midlakes, and Red Jacket.
But the scholarships for graduating high school seniors are just one aspect of the Guild’s work. At the same dinner where this year’s scholarships were presented, the Guild made a $40,000 donation to the Foundation’s Healthcare Education Fund, which helps financially support entry-level Thompson staff members who are obtaining degrees or certifications to advance their careers.
The Guild’s donation to the Healthcare Education Fund came on the heels of many other Guild gifts supporting everything from our new intensive care unit to the comfort bags that go home with parents who have experienced the loss of an infant.
“I can honestly say we would be lost without the Guild,” said Foundation Director Heather Rickett. “They work hard, year round, on a variety of fundraisers so they can support our health system and our community in so many ways.”
Fortunately, throughout our history, Thompson has never been without the Guild.
In 1905, just a year after F.F. Thompson Hospital opened its doors, its Board of Directors established the Guild for the purpose of raising funds to purchase needed medical equipment and furnishings. Today, the Guild has nearly 150 members and is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. Katie Outhouse is its current president.
“What I enjoy most about being part of the Guild are the members, the dedication of each one, the friendship and the community involvement,” she said. “The people I work with on the Guild board are amazing. Everyone is involved and committed to our mission. Each board member steps up, accepts committee roles, and plays a part in our fundraising efforts. It truly is an honor to be part of this group.”
Visit www.ThompsonHealth.com/Guild to join today!