Happy Holidays!

This season, we celebrate not just the spirit of giving, but the impact of your kindness.

Throughout 2024, we have witnessed firsthand the profound effects of your generosity. From funding critical healthcare programs to building technology-driven centers of excellence and delivering groundbreaking research (and the hope it provides) — your gifts have made a tangible difference in the lives of patients and their families.
Over the last year we have watched your philanthropy in action, including:

• Advancements in cancer immunotherapy
• Construction on the new home of HonorHealth Heart Care
• Establishment of the Center for Interventional Endoscopy – helping patients with GI disease heal more quickly and safely
• Initiation of 82 clinical trials at HonorHealth Research Institute
• Serving nearly 300 at-risk community members daily through Desert Mission Food Bank

Those are just a few of hundreds of amazing accomplishments that are elevating patient care and community health — thanks to you and the loyal support you continue to show!

As we celebrate this special time of year, please know that your philanthropy does more than provide financial support—it inspires hope and spreads healing throughout Arizona and beyond. We are deeply grateful and honored to work alongside you in this shared journey of giving.

On behalf of everyone at HonorHealth Foundation, we wish you and your loved ones a joyous and peaceful holiday season, filled with warmth, happiness and an abundance of blessings.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Jared A. Langkilde, MBA, CFRE
President & CEO

The Germinator joins HonorHealth fleet of germ-zapping robots

The notion of a fleet of robots that clean the hospitals captured the imagination of donors from the beginning. And dozens have stepped forward to donate the full cost of a robot not only for the privilege of naming it but for the immediate impact it makes on patient health.

HonorHealth's newest robot, The Germinator, was made possible through a gift by Murray and Ina Manaster. These long-term donors are generous with their time as well. Murray serves as a Foundation Trustee and Ina is the co-founder of the HonorHealth Foundation Women’s Board.

A presentation at a Women’s Board “Sharing our Science” event last April introduced guests to innovative robot technology and its role in infection prevention. The Manasters were impressed and quickly made their gift to underwrite The Germinator.

Donor generosity has the power to transform patient care through the advancements in infection control, like germ-zapping robots. We are honored to be a trusted partner in your philanthropic journey.

Donor supported fund transforms patient life

To our donors who help us achieve our mission every day: thank you. Your loyalty and support are changing lives. In this case, through the Patient Assistance Fund.

Mr. John was admitted to the HonorHealth Scottsdale Osborn Medical Center after being found confused and ill at a bus stop on a very cold, rainy day.

He was suffering from significant hypothermia, which hospital staff addressed quickly. But as the care team conducted a thorough examination, they found something much more alarming — a mass in his pancreas, which they believed to be pancreatic cancer. Mr. John was not able to care for himself and the team reached out to Hospice of the Valley to assist him. Without any resources, Mr. John was a candidate to receive support from HonorHealth’s Patient Assistance Fund.

Once stable, Mr. John was discharged from the hospital. Though he was still bedbound and not eating or drinking, he was welcomed into a group hospice home for personalized care.

“The beauty of a patient assistance fund lies in its ability to offer direct, tangible support to individuals during their most challenging moments — easing the emotional and financial stress that often accompanies illness,” states Ashleigh Leite, Senior Vice President, Major Gifts at the Foundation.

“Ultimately, a patient assistance fund embodies compassion and solidarity, showing that people are not alone in their struggles and that there is a community willing to help them through difficult times.”

Staff at the group home watched as Mr. John regained his strength and displayed independent mobility within just a few weeks! Soon he no longer required hospice care, as he was off all pain medication for the pancreatic mass and maintaining good nutrition.

Mr. John was released and reunited to his previous living environment with friends and family. HonorHealth also provided Mr. John with many needed clothing items from the HonorHealth charity clothing closet at the Osborn Medical Center. As a special touch, the team also sent him home with his favorite candy, Baby Ruth bars.

Mr. John wanted you to know he is “beyond grateful for HonorHealth and the generous charity care” he received. He also shared he is grateful for the opportunity to spend his days living a full life.

It is our patients who benefit from your kindness and our community who grows stronger through your philanthropy.

Donations of virtual currency now accepted by HonorHealth Foundation

What is that you ask? Cryptocurrency is digital or virtual money that can be used for various purposes, including online purchases, investment and transferring funds across borders with lower fees and faster processing times compared to traditional banking systems. It can also be used to serve your community through the funding of critical healthcare initiatives like those at HonorHealth.

Nonprofit organizations are increasingly adopting cryptocurrency as a donation, offering a convenient and innovative way for supporters to contribute, as it can be withdrawn and deposited from anywhere in the world.

Cryptocurrencies also provide benefits such as lower transaction fees compared to traditional payment systems and increased transparency. Additionally, donors may receive tax advantages, as many cryptocurrencies are treated as property for tax purposes.

"As a forward-thinking organization, accepting cryptocurrency as a gift not only opens the door to a global pool of donors but also gives us another avenue to mission success for our community,” states Jared A. Langkilde, president and CEO of HonorHealth Foundation. “It's fast, secure and offers a seamless way to tap into the future of giving — and be a part of a growing digital economy.”

Learn about the benefits and process for making a tax-deductible charitable donation of cryptocurrency while supporting the HonorHealth Foundation program of your choice.

Nurse loses 50 pounds in HRI clinical trial

Krista C. answered a social media invitation to join a weight-loss clinical trial at HonorHealth Research Institute (HRI) after years of struggling to lose college weight gain. The trial involved ingestion of a gastric balloon device intended to help the patient feel full and curb food cravings.

Except the 48-year-old Phoenix nurse never got the balloon. She wound up being assigned to a comparative control group that received counseling and coaching. Even so, Krista made the most of this opportunity and was able to lose nearly 50 pounds, dropping from 220 down to 170, before settling at her current weight of about 180.

“I had significant success being in the control group; actually, better success than some people with the balloon,” shares Krista, who participated from February 2023 through January 2024 in the clinical trial, supervised by James Swain, MD, medical director of the Research Institute’s GI/Bariatrics Research Division. “My nutritionist told me, ‘You don’t have to deny yourself anything. You just make sure you’re counting the calories that go into your mouth.’ I pretty much eat what I want. I’m just better at making choices and choosing smaller portion sizes.”

Participating in the national clinical trial

Krista was one of nearly 550 patients at 17 sites nationwide who enrolled in the trial to test the world’s first and only swallowable, procedure-less gastric balloon for weight loss. It is designed to address various shortcomings of legacy gastric balloons.

The balloon is swallowed as a capsule and filled during a 15-minute outpatient visit, under the guidance of a healthcare provider without surgery, endoscopy or anesthesia. About four months later, a patented release valve opens, allowing the balloon to empty and pass out of the body naturally.

Krista wanted to lose the weight she gained during nursing school at ASU. She graduated in 2019, joining the nursing profession only to face the intense stress endured by nurses worldwide during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“My biggest thing before was just motivation,” adds Krista.

Through her weekly coaching sessions, she learned how to focus on counting calories: what to eat, how to eat and how many times a day to eat. Krista received basic suggestions about how and how often to exercise, using apps as a simple guide that focused on varying her routines, to keep her from getting bored.

Seeing results and feeling better

“I feel fantastic,” Krista says. “I ended up losing almost 50 pounds, and that was without any mechanical help. I’m perfectly happy with that.”

Krista, who works in a neurosurgery operating room focused on brain and spinal procedures, said her biggest change was eating more than three times a day but eating less at each meal. “I’m not hungry because I’m eating often,” she shares.

She is a former history teacher, who no longer eats at her work cafeteria, opting instead to pack her food every day so she knows exactly how many calories she is consuming. “That really helped a lot,” Krista adds.

She no longer is tempted to snack on food brought in by co-workers and only eats what is part of her diet. “I’m much better at not stress-eating than I used to be,” says Krista.

What is the one thing in her diet she misses the most? Ice cream! “I still eat it, but not as often and only in small portions,” she explains.

Clinical trials and joyful patient outcomes, like this one, are the result of YOUR philanthropy in action. Thank you for your partnership and support — it is changing lives one patient at a time.

GivingTuesday raises $300K for HonorHealth Patient Assistance Fund

Thank you for participating in GivingTuesday on December 3 and helping us reach a new record of giving for this day!

Together, our community raised more than $300,000 for the HonorHealth Patient Assistance Fund — a testament to our shared spirit of compassion and humanity.

Because of your timely support and the generous challenge match from the Earley Family, a total of $300,000 was raised for the Patient Assistance Fund to help patients in need once they leave the hospital, providing both financial and emotional support to continue on their healing journey and reducing the likelihood of hospital readmission.

On behalf of the patients and families who will be helped through your donation to the HonorHealth Patient Assistance Fund, thank you!

Celebrating 40 Years of Commitment to Health and Well-being

HonorHealth Foundation is proud to celebrate four decades of partnering with donors to help them achieve their vision of advancing healthcare, fostering community well-being and making a lasting impact for HonorHealth patients.

Since its establishment in 1984, the Foundation has dedicated itself to finding cures, saving lives and transforming healthcare.

Inspired by a growing community and the healthy environment unique to Arizona, the Foundation set out to create a lasting legacy of unsurpassed service and care to patients and the community-at-large.

The merger of Scottsdale Healthcare and John C. Lincoln Hospitals added the opportunity to build support for Desert Mission Food Bank. Innovations in care followed, including germ-zapping robot technology for enhanced infection control — and now Blue Zones Project of Scottsdale to enhance longevity and healthier lifestyles.

Since our inception, we have worked with our philanthropic community to raise nearly $650 million to advance the most innovative, personalized and comprehensive care for all patients. From cancer care to neurosciences to rare tumor research and cardiovascular expertise, our donor community has set healing and hope into action for tens of thousands of Arizonans.

Your friendship means the world to us. You have helped HonorHealth improve lives through innovative healthcare and promote better patient outcomes for friends and strangers alike.

Thank you for 40 years of amazing milestones! We HONOR you and your legacy of kindness.

Join us FORE! an afternoon of philanthropy and golf

Help make great care possible for patients and families in our community by joining us Friday, April 25, 2025, for a fabulous round of golf at Grayhawk Golf Club at the HonorHealth Foundation Pro-Am!

Your Pro-Am registration or sponsorship benefits the HonorHealth Foundation Greatest Needs Fund. This fund gives HonorHealth the ability to be nimble and do the most good for patients and staff.

Event registration includes a morning or afternoon shotgun start, a player gift package, plus food and drinks served on-course throughout the day. The field will be flighted by team handicaps, with a maximum player handicap of 18.

Register your team today or learn about sponsorship opportunities!

Help buy milk for vulnerable families this holiday season

HonorHealth Foundation and the Dairy Council of Arizona have teamed up for the Second Annual Adopt-a-Cow milk drive, benefiting HonorHealth Desert Mission Food Bank.

Now through January 11 (National Milk Day), make a milk drive donation and 100 percent of the funds will go to Desert Mission Food Bank to distribute milk to at-risk families in the community.

Milk drive bonus!

If you make a milk drive gift of $25 or more, you'll receive a cow plush toy (limited to the first 200 donors; details provided in your donation acknowledgement email).

Thank you for your support of those in need!