Joliet Couple’s Thoughtful Planning Still Saving Lives Decades Later
It has been more than five years since Dorothy Brown – or as her friends called her Dottie, passed away at the age of 96.
Dottie and her late husband LaVerne (Bitz) Brown were strong advocates for Joliet and Will County, renowned for their philanthropy and tireless dedication to countless organizations including Silver Cross.
Dottie gave unselfishly of her time serving as a member of the Silver Cross Foundation Board of Directors and Childerguild for decades. So, it wasn’t surprising that the couple bequeathed a transformational legacy gift to create the LaVerne and Dorothy Brown Cardiovascular Institute at Silver Cross Hospital in 2001. Because of their exceptional support, the Hospital was able to integrate multiple cardiovascular services together in a single location for the benefit of thousands of patients. Wonderful care led the couple to contribute a second leadership gift in 2009. The Brown’s supported the partnership Silver Cross Hospital created with the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab bringing the country’s best rehabilitation services to Will County. In sincere appreciation of the Brown’s continued generosity, the Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit is named in their honor.
Fortunately, there was a silver lining for Silver Cross.
Fast forward to 2020. The two-and-a-half-year-long Covid-19 pandemic caused countless hardships at hospitals around the world – and at Silver Cross Hospital. With three large Covid-19 surges – the most devastating occurring in the fall/winter of 2021-2022 – Silver Cross faced staffing shortages, increased agency staff use, exorbitant supply costs, loss of elective surgeries, and soaring number of inpatients resulting in millions of dollars in lost revenue to the not-for-profit hospital.
As Dottie’s estate was settled during the same timeframe, the Silver Cross Foundation received payments towards the couple’s pledge made nearly 20 years ago. She had left the largest percentage of her estate to the Silver Cross Foundation totaling over $2.3 million. In addition, she had included Childerguild in her will.
Last February, Childerguild donated a portion of Dottie’s estate gift to the Foundation to help purchase 3-D mammography technology for the Silver Cross Breast Center. Installed in November, this lifesaving mammography unit has the capability to screen 6,000 patients annually for early detection of breast cancer.
When asked why the couple chose to include the Silver Cross Foundation in their estate plans, Dottie said “We have always believed in Silver Cross Hospital’s mission to provide quality health care services to our community. We have first-hand experience of the compassionate care given and want to make sure that the nurses and doctors will have the latest equipment to care for other patients recovering from serious illnesses and injuries.”
Because of Dottie and Bitz’s visionary leadership and extraordinary generosity years ago, Silver Cross Hospital continues to have the resources to improve the health of those served and advance wellness in the community today.
You too can join Bitz and Dottie to create your own lasting legacy. To learn how you can include the Silver Cross Foundation as a beneficiary in your estate plans, click here or call Tracy Simons, Executive Director of the Silver Cross Foundation at (815) 300-7113.
