In 2019, Laurie McCormack became the new executive director of AdventHealth Foundation Shawnee Mission. She brings over 20 years of experience in development and external relations.
McCormack says she was thrilled to join the AdventHealth Shawnee Mission team to help them in their mission of extending the healing ministry of Christ. “With philanthropy, the goal is to inspire gifts that can have the most impact,” she says. “So as a development professional, I wanted to be a part of the healthcare industry, because it’s something that can help change so many lives. Being at a faith-based, nonprofit hospital was particularly important to me because of its culture and level of compassionate care.”
McCormack most recently was the senior vice president for individual giving for the United Way of Greater Kansas City. Prior positions include vice president for advancement at Park University and assistant vice chancellor of development at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. While at Park, she served as an executive board member for Truman Medical Centers Charitable Foundation.
She says her inspiration comes from cultivating relationships in the community and seeing the impact that donations can have. “Every day, we get a chance to provide opportunities so people can make an impact,” she says. “It’s such an honor to see their joy in knowing that they’re making a difference and helping change lives in the community.”
AdventHealth Foundation Shawnee Mission brings in support for hospital programs that serve its patients and the surrounding community. In 2019, AdventHealth Shawnee Mission opened the B.E. Smith Family Center, a more than $25 million project funded almost entirely by generous givers in the Kansas City community. The center houses the Britain Development and Early Learning programs, providing therapy and education for children with special needs and Christian-based childcare for team members of AdventHealth Shawnee Mission. Annual contributions also provide scholarships to the Britain Development program for families whose insurance doesn’t cover the entire cost.
“Everything we do speaks to AdventHealth’s mission,” she says. “Our donors are helping us fund programs that serve those who are most in need.”
This past year, the foundation made many grants to the hospital, including a grant of $130,000 to buy safe furniture for the hospital’s behavioral health floor and $100,000 for a LIV Whole Intensive Lifestyle Modification program, designed to help people make healthy choices, particularly in regard to those decisions that lead to chronic conditions.
The Foundation also helps support AdventHealth team members in providing the best possible care. Every year, it provides funding for mission trips to Peru, where primary care teams serve clinics in Pucallpa and surgical teams offer cleft lip, cleft palate and general surgeries in Juliaca. It provides funding for conferences and specialized training for nurses, as well as a resiliency program when team members are struggling with difficult situations.
“Healthcare can be an emotionally challenging field to work in,” says McCormack. “While healthcare team members are helping everyone else, they may have crises in their lives, too. This resiliency program gives them the opportunity to get help through those really difficult times.”
McCormack says her goal for the coming year is to continue to find ways to build relationships in the community and support the hospital’s goals in providing the best possible care.
“We want to look strategically on how we can best serve the community,” she says. “It’s our job to bring hospital team members together with our generous givers to make a difference in people’s lives.”
For more information about programs funded by AdventHealth Foundation Shawnee Mission, visit AdventHealthKC.com.
Ann Muder is a freelance writer and editor for AdventHealth Shawnee Mission.
