Dyson Foundation Awards $50,000 Grant to the Rosemary D. Gruner Memorial Cancer Fund
Kingston, N.Y. – Mar. 9, 2012 – The Dyson Foundation recently awarded a grant of $50,000 to the Benedictine Health Foundation for the benefit of the Rosemary D. Gruner Memorial Cancer Fund at Benedictine Hospital.
Working in partnership with the Gruner Family and the Thomas A. Dee Cancer Center at Benedictine Hospital, the Benedictine Health Foundation established this fund in 2004 to provide for individuals who are facing financial challenges while receiving cancer treatment. The Fund provides assistance for the purchase of products and services not covered by medical insurance, primarily for gift cards to purchase nutritious food and gas cards so that patients may access treatment. Residents of Ulster County (regardless of where they receive treatment) and neighboring Hudson Valley Counties (receiving treatment from a facility within Ulster County) are eligible to apply.
Barbara Klassen, the Executive Director of the Benedictine Health Foundation, said the goal of the Fund is to provide financial assistance to every eligible patient that applies. “We are very fortunate to have the ability to offer this form of financial assistance to patients while in cancer
treatment,” Ms. Klassen said. “Because of the Gruner family’s efforts and the overwhelming generosity of our community, over 890 patients and their families have benefited from this Fund. This generous grant from The Dyson Foundation will help us to continue in our mission.”
The Dyson Foundation is a private, family-directed grant making foundation established in 1957. The Foundation is led by Robert R. Dyson who has served as the Foundation’s President since 2000. Headquartered in Millbrook, (Dutchess County) N.Y., the Foundation awards grants through a diverse regional funding program in the Dyson family’s home community of the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York State. The Dyson Foundation also makes grants outside the Hudson Valley to pre-selected organizations. The Foundation’s assets presently stand at approximately $240,000,000 and in the year 2011 it awarded
grants in excess of $19,500,000.
For further information on the Rosemary D. Gruner Memorial Cancer Fund, contact the Oncology Support Program at Benedictine Hospital, (845) 339-2071, or the Benedictine Health Foundation at (845) 334-3017. The Benedictine Health Foundation supports the quality healthcare programs, services, and facilities of Benedictine Hospital, a member of HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley.