Native businessman continues giving again by means of WVU Drugs Kids’s donations

For nicely over a decade – nearer to 2 – J.R. Toothman, president of Toothman Ford Auto Dealership, and his household, have had a huge effect on the success of WVU Drugs Kids’s.

Based on Director of Giving Dee O’Palko, donations made in Toothman’s identify, a member of the family’s identify, or the dealership might be seen way back to 2005 and the funds have supported many alternative features of the hospital.

Toothman recollects embracing the youngsters’s hospital and actually eager to become involved after Toothman Ford turned the primary sponsor for the annual media-thon fundraiser.

“From there we simply noticed all of the wonderful issues that they have been doing and needed to get extra deeply concerned and have been ready to try this because the years glided by,” he mentioned.

Along with sponsoring the media-thon, Toothman labored hand-in-hand with hospital coordinators to orchestrate the West Virginia Auto Sellers Affiliation’s annual partnership with taking part auto sellers donating $100 for each automotive bought within the month of August or a beneficiant donation to the hospital. Funds raised all through the month go in the direction of the Baby Life Program.

“I believe that occasion helped increase about $600,000 final yr,” Toothman mentioned.

O’Palko mentioned 5 or 6 years in the past, Toothman additionally began an endowment that helps help the youngsters’s oncology (most cancers) division.

“He is aware of the significance of supporting this hospital and having a brand new facility to handle youngsters in our state and our area,” O’Palko mentioned of Toothman. “The youngsters … they’re what makes this hospital a kids’s hospital … and [Toothman] helps make this hospital kid-friendly.”

Toothman mentioned he and his household will proceed to help the hospital “based mostly on the truth that it’s been such a tremendous facility the place the youngsters and the households in our state don’t need to take a backseat and get second-class care – they get it proper in our personal yard. They don’t need to journey to Pennsylvania or Ohio or wherever, as a result of with the recruitment of world-class physicians and now a world-class facility proper right here in our personal yard.”

O’Palko mentioned that with out donors like Toothman, “a lot of these items that J.R. helps – we wouldn’t have these companies or applications with out donors. Having the donor help of somebody like J.R. actually helps make our hospital higher and permits us to make our hospital higher.”

Toothman mentioned that Toothman Ford has been in enterprise for about 56 years by means of the help of the group and he hopes he’s giving again along with his donations to the youngsters’s hospital.

“I’m a agency believer that we’re not a enterprise in the neighborhood, we’re part of that group,” he mentioned. “So, it’s necessary for us to pay it ahead after we can due to the loyalty of so many good clients that we’ve had by means of the years. We simply wish to maintain attempting to create one of the best group that we are able to due to the truth that West Virginia’s been good to us, and we wish to pay that ahead again to an important useful resource we have now, which is the youngsters.”

Toothman mentioned he thinks numerous occasions folks don’t truly know what the youngsters’s hospital facility does till they’re in a state of affairs the place they really want it.

“Once you get an opportunity on say, a soccer sport Saturday, to look over at [the hospital] – notice that now we have now this gorgeous a lot free-standing facility that simply caters to youngsters and the element that went into it – every thing from the useful resource heart that Jeff Hostetler donated funds to and all of the thought that’s going into ensuring that the youngsters have a snug setting whereas they’re going by means of some very traumatic points,” he mentioned. “I might encourage anybody that may to donate to this trigger as a result of it’s a endless cycle – they’re all the time shopping for up to date know-how and care and it’s an infinite sport with that. You simply gotta maintain transferring ahead.”

For extra details about WVU Drugs Kids’s, the nice work they’re doing, or find out how to donate, go to their web site at childrens.wvumedicine.org.