Monday, December 7, 2009

Two Major Gifts Establish Dr. Albert Resnick Endowment

The holidays have special meaning this year for Dr. Albert Resnick, longtime medical director and volunteer at Senior Friendship Centers Health Clinic and his wife, Ruth, who also volunteers at the clinic.

Thanks to two major gifts of $100,000 each, The Dr. Albert Resnick Endowment for Healthy Aging, will be established, extending the work of the Friendship Centers Health Services in Sarasota and Venice, which serve low income and uninsured older adults in Sarasota County.

Doctors Robert and Patricia Gussin, who share the Resnicks’ passion for medicine and compassion for people in need, created a lead gift of $100,000 to establish the endowment. After hearing of its establishment, Bill and Wesley Janeway, Dr. Resnick’s son-in-law and daughter, matched this lead gift to boost the fund to $200,000.

The announcement was a surprise highlight of the annual Senior Friendship Centers Health Services Holiday Party, held Dec. 3 at the Oaks Club in Osprey. This annual event celebrates the contributions of the volunteers who give of their time and talent to help thousands of older adults in need in Sarasota County.

“With more and more older adults facing tough economic times, the need is greater than ever. The establishment of the endowment in Dr. Resnick’s honor will be a lasting tribute to his work at our clinics and in the community,” Bob Carter, Senior Friendship Centers President and CEO said. “Since becoming a volunteer at the clinic in 1990, Dr. Resnick’s brilliance as a physician and mentor to students who intern at the clinic, his compassion, and his dedication to serve people in need have contributed greatly to the quality of life and health of our patients and our community. We are truly appreciative of all that he and Ruth do.”

“What a great tribute to Senior Friendship Centers and to the Resnicks. The Gussins and the Janeways have become special donors leading the way to long term sustainability of the Healthy Aging Clinic,” said Dennis Stover, Vice President of Resource Development for SFC. “Thanks to them, we will be able to continue to provide much needed care to older adults in need for years to come. It is especially appropriate this year as we launch our annual appeal with the theme, Compassion is Recession-Proof.”

For more information about the new endowment or other donor opportunities, call 941.556.3224.

Senior Friendship Centers, Inc. established in 1973, is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping older adults live with dignity and independence in Sarasota, Desoto, Charlotte, Lee and Collier counties.