1. <adressee>
<company>
<address1>
<address2>
<city>, <state> <zip>
Dear <salutation>,
Her smile was radiant and warm, but I could tell from her eyes that she was tired and afraid.
I turned eleven last week, and I am the oldest, she said.
She stood in the Emergency Department exam room with her mother and three other siblings. Their clothing
was unkempt, but they all appeared fairly healthy and clean. The young lady’s hair was neatly pulled back with a
Hello Kitty barrette. Her name was Sara.
My brother is the youngest, she added. He had a bad asthma attack last night—almost stopped breathing.
That’s why we’re here.
The family came into the Emergency Department after midnight. Sara’s brother was having trouble breathing.
His inhalers were in the medicine cabinet at home. But they hadn’t been home in three weeks.
Her brother clung to Sara’s mom possessively as she bounced him gently on her knee to keep him occupied.
He was three. The other two children were six and nine. They were some of the sweetest, most polite and well
behaved children I had seen in a long time. The mother sat quietly.
My dad hits my mom, Sara said.
Still, her mother sat surprisingly silent, but smiled tentatively as her daughter spoke.
This time, he did more than hit her, she added. I saw it. We had to leave.
They tried to return to the apartment days later for clean clothing, medication, and food, but the lock was
changed and a notice was taped to the door, she explained. Apparently her father had not paid the rent for months.
We have been living in the car ever since, Sara said. It gets pretty cold, but at least we are safe.
It was the cold that most likely triggered her brother’s asthma attack that night. And without adequate
medication, the family had nowhere else to turn—but to Providence Regional Medical Center Everett.
They were nearly out of gas and using food stamps for cereal and public restrooms to keep clean.
But they had come to the end of their resources.
The doctor said my brother will be fine now. He just needs a warm bed and a good night’s sleep.
Continued on reverse side.
Yes! I want to help sustain the important mission and work of Providence Regional Medical Center.
916 Pacific Avenue
PO Box 1067
Everett WA 98201
Please accept my tax-deductible gift of:
$75 $100 $250 $500 Other $
Payment type:
Check (Payable to Providence General Foundation)
Credit Card
Card # Exp. Date
Signature CVN Code
[source code 1] [ID#]
<adressee>
<company>
<address1>
<address2>
<city>, <state> <zip>
Email:____________________________________________
Donate online at ProvidenceGeneralFoundation.org
Please direct my gift to the:
Greatest Need Fund
Other established fund:__________________
If no box is checked, your gift will be directed to the area of greatest need.

2. Providence General Foundation supports the mission and work of Providence Regional Medical Center Everett.
Providence Regional is the only non-profit hospital in the county not supported by a tax district. No patient who cannot pay is
ever turned away.And every day, through the contributions of time, expertise, and money, we reach out to those in need.
Providence General Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization. Your gift may be tax-deductible as allowed by law.
I have made a provision for Providence General Foundation in my will.
Please send me information on:
How to make a gift to Providence General Foundation and receive lifetime income.
How to include Providence General Foundation in my will.
Should you wish not to receive our requests for charitable support, please check this box and return this card.
Or contact us at (425) 258-7500 or PGF@Providence.org.
Thank you for your generosity. Please designate your gift on the reverse side of this form.
Before coming to Providence, I was unaware of the number of homeless in our community. It is estimated
that there are nearly 2,500 individuals in Snohomish County alone—800 of them children. And shelters report that
more than half of all homeless are fleeing from abuse, much like Sara and her family, with nowhere to turn.
As people of Providence, we reveal God’s love for all, especially the poor and vulnerable, through
our compassionate service.
In the Emergency Department at Providence Regional, we provide each patient and family with the same
respect and quality of care regardless of their circumstances. It is part of the fabric of our organization.
Inadequate living conditions make most homeless individuals vulnerable and more susceptible to illness and
injury than others. Malnutrition, pneumonia, and injuries from assault or rape are some of the most common we
see. It is difficult to watch homeless patients we treat returning to the same environment that led to their medical
condition in the first place. Sometimes shelter space is available, but most of the time it is not.
Unfortunately, there is no prescription we can give for a warm bed, healthy meal, or safe place to heal. Until now.
Through support from friends like you, Providence has created a new partnership with local shelters to
increase availability of beds for homeless patients who could benefit from a warm and safe place to heal after
hospital treatment. The program will help patients who are most in need and qualify access to short-term shelter.
Programs like this one—that extend our mission to care for the poor and vulnerable—are made possible
primarily through sustaining support from our donor family. As a caregiver, I am extremely thankful.
Ongoing philanthropic support enables us to maintain and expand mission-minded programs, invest in new
technology and facilities, and educate our caregivers on advances in modern medicine. This support has a direct
impact on those we serve every day. In 2013 alone, more than $2 million in donor support was reinvested back
into our ministry. And we hope we can do the same—or more—in 2014.
Will you consider a year-end gift of $100, $250, or even $500 to help us sustain our mission and work?
Could you help us find a warm place to stay, Sara finally said. Just for tonight? Until my brother is well.
With your unrestricted and sustaining support, we are able to help meet the variety of needs that face our
caregivers every day—like helping families in need like Sara’s access a warm bath, a meal, and a good night’s
sleep for her sick brother.
Thank you in advance for helping us meet not only the immediate needs of our patients, but provide an
added measure of healing, dignity, and peace as well.
Sincerely,
Ruth Collins, RN
Emergency Department Discharge Planner
Providence Regional Medical Center Everett
P.S. Your gift to our unrestricted Greatest Need Fund helps us meet the most pressing needs facing our
ministry today—whether it is state-of-the-art technology, medical education, or providing for the basic needs
of our most vulnerable patients. Thank you for your kindness and compassion.
The names of Sara and her family and some of the details of their story have been changed to respect their privacy and protect their identity.