Our History
HISTORY OF LIFESPRING FOUNDATION
In 2003, the LifeSpring Foundation of Indiana was officially formed with board members that included Jack Vissing, Nick Stein, Joan Kemper, Carlton Sanders, Dr. Terry Stawar, Penny McGinity, and Cheryl Stuppy.
“It was kind of a scary time,” recalls Nick Stein, one of the founding members of the LifeSpring Foundation. “As a member of the LifeSpring Health Systems board we were struggling a bit, like many agencies during that time. There were certain things that were needed for patient care that LifeSpring could not spend money on. “So Jack Vissing and Nick Stein, along with Judy Steedly, Carlton Sanders and a few others started talking about how they could help with these funding issues. That’s where the discussions about forming a foundation started. Discussions turned into action, and the LifeSpring Foundation of Indiana was incorporated.
A lot has changed since 2003. Under Dr. Stawar’s leadership the agency began to grow and expand while the foundation was busy trying to grow itself through small fundraisers throughout the year. In 2013, with around $23,000 in the bank, Vissing, Stein and others started to expand the board and cast a broader need to grow to reach its initial vision to help the various internal services and patient care that the parent organization could not.
In 2018, Dr. Stawar presented the foundation board with an opportunity to merge with a similar organization that was struggling in the Jasper, Indiana region. After months of negotiations the two merged under the LifeSpring Foundation name and the service area jumped up to eleven counties.
In August of 2021 with President/CEO, Dr. Terry Stawar, set to retire at the end of the year LifeSpring Health Systems announced the selection of their new President/CEO, Beth Keeney, DrPH. Dr. Keeney had previously served as Executive Vice President of Community Health Initiatives and has been with LifeSpring since 2008. She was instrumental in the process of LifeSpring becoming certified as a Federally Qualified Health Center and the continued expansion of primary care services in Southern Indiana.
Dr. Keeney’s goals for the agency included the expansion of community health programming in rural areas and the development of strategic partnerships in order to continue the expansion of affordable healthcare. Dr. Keeney believes that access to behavioral health, addiction treatment, and primary care services, is a human rights issue.
Through her leadership Lifespring Health Systems has continued their efforts to grow our service delivery models to ensure patients have access to the services they need, when they need them, regardless of their ability to pay.
Shortly after Dr. Keeney took on the role as President/CEO of LifeSpring Health Systems and bolstered by the additional funds brought about through the earlier merger, the LifeSpring Foundation expanded its board. It was at that time that Vissing and the board felt it was time that the organization conducted a strategic planning session to help guide the new board for the future. So, in April 2022, the board went through a planning day that resulted in identifying specific areas to help guide the foundation going forward. The plan would establish four foundational pillars that would help guide the organization’s efforts going forward. Those pillars are:
· Outreach
· Fundraising
· Communications and Marketing
· Grants
Out of that plan, specific and targeted goals were developed under each one of the pillars.
Outreach- To become a strong community force through creating strategic partnerships and alliances for the purpose of elevating the stature of the LifeSpring Foundation of Indiana. This includes being more involved with other organizations and expanding our community footprint.
Fundraising- Being more focused in developing and expanding our brand awareness in the community while fundraising and having fun doing it. This meant updating and expanding our Taco’s and Trivia, now one of the largest and most successful trivia events in the area. It also meant totally revamping our annual gala and transforming it into a fun and exciting evening- Boot’s and Bling! Live music, Live Auction, Awards and more.
Communications and Marketing- This also presented a shift to develop the foundations’ own brand through developing an annual communications and marketing action plan, establishing our own website and social media and presenting it in a way that was consistent and focused on what the foundation does and the impact those efforts are making in all eleven counties we serve.
Grants- The board also strives to be good stewards of the monies raised throughout the year by setting a percentage aside each month that can be given out in grants without dipping into our efforts to become self-sufficient. This is tracked and reported each month to make sure that we maximize our impact on the communities and the clients being served.
It is this type of focus, spurred on by the results of the strategic plan that, the LifeSpring Foundation has grown to almost one million dollars. Most importantly, the amount of grants that have been made and continue to be made through a focused vision and planned effort, have made a major impact on services, equipment and training that impact the many clients being served and their families.