Denver Health’s Response to COVID-19 Inspires Generous Gift
May 26, 2021
The professionalism and expertise Denver Health’s caregivers devoted to our patients and their families during the toughest months of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to profoundly move our donor community.
Earlier this year, K.C. Veio, a long-time Denver Health Foundation board member, and his partner, David Orlovsky, decided the time was right to increase their philanthropic commitment to Denver Health.
“I have been a big fan of Denver Health and its work in our community for a very long time,” K.C. said. “I’ve been so impressed by the work our professionals and support staff do day-in and day-out at Denver Health. They’re literally on the front lines of providing health care services to all members of our community in Denver, including those most in need. David and I talked about how we might ‘put our money where our mouths are,’ and decided a gift to support Denver Health would be money well spent.”
As a board member, K.C. had a front row seat to the incredible work our caregivers provided during the pandemic and witnessed the outpouring of community support that resulted in $2.5 million raised for Denver Health’s pandemic response efforts. A few months later, K.C. and David decided to provide an unrestricted gift to the Foundation.
“This decision was really influenced by our witnessing how Denver Health sprang into action during the COVID-19 pandemic and almost immediately began providing care and testing during a very uncertain time for our community,” K.C. explained.
Many large gifts benefit a specific project or program, like cardiac care or cancer research, that closely aligns with the donors’ interests. For K.C. and David, however, the whole of Denver Health is close to their hearts, and they wanted their gift to reflect that.
“Denver Health serves a very important role in Denver: providing state-of-the-art health care services to our entire community,” K.C. said. “No matter who you are, what your background is, or where you come from, Denver Health is here for everyone. We wanted Denver Health to have maximum flexibility on how our contribution is spent so that our gift can be used for any purpose that Denver Health sees fit in the future.”
Their unrestricted gift means that when Denver Health experiences an unplanned financial need, like the unprecedented and immediate needs brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the hospital can use their generous donation right away. Altogether, the gift helps further Denver Health’s vision to be the healthiest city in the Unites States – a goal that K.C. shares.
“I would like to live in a community where top-quality health care is a right, not a privilege, and one that is shared by all,” K.C. said. “I think we’re well on our way to making this vision a reality—I see it in action every month at our board meetings when I listen to our professionals and staff share their stories about how they’re serving Denver and our community.”