Former Patient Teams Up with Employer to Make Generous Donation to LifeFlight of Maine
As an independent nonprofit, LifeFlight of Maine depends on community support to fulfill its mission. Every gift made to LifeFlight is put toward ensuring that everyone, perhaps even someone you know, will receive the care they need when they need it most.
Cheri Smith needed the care of a LifeFlight team in 2024. After suffering a traumatic injury, she was flown by helicopter to Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor. After a few months of healing and recuperation, she reconnected with flight paramedic Mike Choate and flight nurse Casey Farrar, the clinical team who cared for her during the transport.
“I had the opportunity to visit Casey and Mike to express my gratitude for taking amazing care of me,” said Cheri. “While visiting, it was also important to me to make a monetary donation as a small token of my appreciation for LifeFlight services and to thank two people who I will never forget. My hope is that this donation continues to help anyone who needs the help I did.”
“Generous donations, in any amount, from those who believe in our organization are inspiring,” said Mike. “When a donation comes from a patient, it has a special meaning for me. The emotions are raw. There are no words.” Mike has transported hundreds of patients at LifeFlight over the years, many of whom, like Cheri, have chosen to give back by donating to ensure Mike and his colleagues have the tools they need to provide the best care to their next patient.
Cheri works for Bank of America. After she made her gift to LifeFlight, she applied for a matching donation from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation Matching Gifts program. According to Bank of America, the program is intended to double the impact of charitable donations made by their employees. It is now making a donation to LifeFlight equal to that Cheri made.
“I would encourage former patients and members of our community to consider donating to LifeFlight and to research your company’s benefits to see if they will match your grant too,” said Cheri.
Cheri says in addition to her own monetary donation, her company’s matching gift program offers an additional benefit to encourage their employees to invest in their communities. “My company will also donate money to LifeFlight based on the number of hours I volunteer. I would encourage others to research to see if their company offers this benefit,” said Cheri. Cheri can volunteer with any local nonprofit partnering with her company and then decide which organization to support with company funds banked through her volunteer hours. It’s another way Bank of America is choosing to give back to the community, and another opportunity for Cheri to give back to LifeFlight.
It takes all of us coming together to ensure LifeFlight can continue to provide care to people facing critical injury or illness. Check with your Human Resources department to see if your company offers a similar donation matching program. If they do not, ask your employer if they would be willing to match philanthropic donations made by employees. Together, we can give more people second chances.
