WMHS Foundation Receives Million Dollar Gift

A woman who brought a million smiles to her work as a volunteer at Memorial Hospital made a million dollar gift to the new hospital that the Western Maryland Health System is building on Willowbrook Road.

Karen Johnson, Executive Director of the WMHS Foundation, announced today that a million dollar gift has been received from the estate of the late Kathleen (Kate) Dailey Hill. Mrs. Hill, who passed away on December 31, 2005, had made her pledge shortly after WMHS announced plans to pursue a new hospital in 2004. She wanted to name the new Pediatrics Department in honor of her late children Bill and Diane and the Dailey Family.

"It is just so fitting that Kate Dailey Hill’s pledge was our first one for the new hospital," said Mrs. Johnson. "She was a long-time member of the Memorial Auxiliary and volunteered in the gift shop at Memorial Hospital for 19 years. She loved children and wanted her legacy to go to making their lives better."

Mrs. Hill’s long-time friend and neighbor Joy Zembower knew that this gift to the new hospital gave her great pleasure. "Kate talked to me about how she enjoyed making others happy. She had a pattern of generosity and giving away some of what she had been blessed with brought her joy. Knowing that her gift would be helping sick children was very important to her."

The new WMHS hospital will be ready for occupancy in the fall of 2009, and the WMHS Foundation is continuing to raise funds through its capital campaign. To date, over $8.3 million has been pledged toward a goal of $10 million. Gifts of any size are welcomed. Any individual, group, or business that pledges $10,000 or more over a five-year period will have the opportunity to name a room or area of the new hospital in recognition of their gift.

"Kate Dailey Hill lived her life with zest and energy," concluded Ms. Johnson. "Her generosity will create a lasting memorial to her own children and will touch the lives of countless children in the region for generations to come."