Donor Spotlight: Amy and Rick Rosemond of Yellow Roses Fund
Providing a Dose of Kindness to Patients in Need
Local citizens Amy and Rick Rosemond are the founders of the Yellow Roses Fund, a charitable organization that provides philanthropic support to programs whose work positively impacts the health and well-being of our community. Through its generous donations to AWC’s Prescription Medications program, the Yellow Roses Fund supports AWC’s mission of providing accessible healthcare to those in need by providing the resources they need to live healthy, productive lives.
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Read our interview with Rick Rosemond of the Yellow Roses Fund below.
Interview with Rick Rosemond, Co-Founder of the Yellow Roses Fund
What motivated you to start supporting Athens Wellness Clinic, and how did you first learn about its mission and work?
We first heard about the clinic through a board member who introduced us to the Executive Director. After a visit to the clinic and a tour of the facility, we understood there was a need for additional funding. It was obvious the staff were dedicated to the mission and trying their best to meet the needs with limited budget and could see how much more they could do with adequate funds.
Can you describe a specific moment or story that made you realize the impact of your donation on the clinic and its patients?
As a physician, I encountered many diabetic patients that were critically ill requiring hospitalization simply because they could not obtain their insulin or purchase needles or test strips. After learning about the Clinic's budget and recent withdrawal of significant funding from the hospital, we felt that our greatest impact would be to supply funds to cover the costs of the medications that the Clinic provides.
How do you decide how much and in what ways to contribute to the clinic, and what factors influence your ongoing support?
We wanted our funds to have a direct local impact with potential ripple effects (e.g. keeping patients out of the hospital). Providing the funds for the pharmacy component of the Clinic seemed the best way to accomplish this. Seeing the passion and dedication of the staff to their clients inspires us to keep the Clinic as our most significant contribution.
What personal values or experiences drive your commitment to healthcare philanthropy, and how do they align with the goals of this clinic?
A person's contribution to the community in which they live can be great or small and is special and unique to each individual, but it all starts with them being physically and mentally well. The Clinic's goal is just that--to keep its clients well. The population that the clinic serves cannot get this benefit elsewhere.
In your view, what are the most significant challenges facing free health clinics today, and how do you think donations like yours help address those challenges?
Awareness, "buy in," and support from the community about the benefits that free clinics provide and how necessary it is to allocate adequate funding for these services has to be one of the greatest challenges that free health clinics face. Recruitment and retention of dedicated staff and filling leadership positions also is vitally important. We feel the Yellow Roses Fund helps to meet these challenges. We remain hopeful that additional funding from our local hospitals and/or the state will become available.
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