Friends Indeed Help Others In Need
Mission Healthcare Foundation recently received an exciting new grant from the H. N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation, a private family foundation based in Palm Desert, California. This grant of $500,000 is the Berger Foundation's third gift to Mission's Children's Hospital in the past four years. It is designated to help expand and further develop the Olson Huff Center for Child Development to diagnose and support children with autism and other like disorders.
The Berger Foundation learned of Mission Children's Hospital through Tom and Joan Kalimanis. Joan Kalimanis is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Berger, who started the Foundation in 1961 with the goal of "helping people help themselves." A mutual connection, who happened to be an old college friend of Dr. Olson Huff's, introduced him to Tom and Joan, and subsequently, the Kalimanis became very interested in the programs offered at Mission Children's Hospital. Since then, through the Berger Foundation, they have focused over $1.3 million in grants to projects at the Children's Hospital.
Dr. Huff indicated timing of the grant "was perfect, as the Huff Center was formulating plans to expand its autism program. I will be working to match the Berger Foundation grant as that will truly provide a solid resource for this program in a very substantial way."
Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a developmental disability often diagnosed in children as early as the age of three. In 2006, the National Institute of Mental Health estimated that it affects nearly 2-6 out of every 1000 children in the U.S., and the Autism Society of North Carolina recently reports that there are over 50,000 North Carolina families currently affected by ASD. "The Berger Foundation grant will help Mission Children's Hospital meet this growing need for diagnosis, treatment and support in Western North Carolina," said Susan Mims, Medical Director of the Children's Hospital. "We are deeply grateful for this important support."
-Originially published in Mission Healthcare Foundation's newsletter, Inspiration, in Spring/Summer 2007.
