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May 6, 2008
Gift from William Raveis Real Estate Will Expand “Navigator” Program for Patients with Cancer
Donation Will Be Celebrated During May 22 Event
FARMINGTON, CONN. – A regional real estate giant recently made a groundbreaking $750,000 pledge to the University of Connecticut Health Center that will expand a program that
helps patients who are newly diagnosed with cancer.
On Thursday, May 22, officials with William Raveis Real Estate, Mortgage and Insurance – New England’s largest family-owned real estate company – will be honored at the UConn
Health Center during a lunchtime recognition program.
Its generous pledge will allow the Health Center, together with the American Cancer Society, to expand the Navigator program, an innovative service that provides support and
guidance to patients who are newly diagnosed with cancer. The existing program is run by volunteers and focuses exclusively on patients with breast cancer. With Raveis’s support,
it will become a full time program and will assist people with all types of cancer.
This program was intriguing to many of the top leaders at Raveis, including Carolyn Deal, president/COO of William Raveis Real Estate, and a 10-year cancer survivor.
“When you’re first diagnosed, you only halfway hear the things people are telling you. You don’t even know what questions to ask,” she says. “And you quickly find that the more
you ask other people, or the more you look online, the more overwhelmed you get, because everyone’s cancer is different,” she adds, noting that she would have appreciated a
Navigator program when she was first diagnosed.
“We’ve seen how cancer affects our company,” says Lorraine Megenis, vice president of operations at Raveis. “A very high percentage of our 1,900 sales associates are female. If
they haven’t gone through cancer themselves, their sisters, mothers or friends have. We feel the support given to patients through the Navigator program is a necessity.”
“We’ve always supported research and education, but this is something that is helping people right here and now,” adds William Raveis, chairman and CEO. “The big picture is
vital, but so is making sure that we assist individual patients and their families through our philanthropy. The collective dedication of our sales associates, employees, vendors
and clients has been nothing short of outstanding as we witness such positive outcomes to our fundraising efforts. Knowing this is only the beginning, we’re excited to see where
the Navigator program will go in the years to come as it continues to expand and grow.”
“Raveis’s support is so important because it allows us to expand the scope of our program and help more of our patients,” says Carolyn D. Runowicz, M.D., director of the Health
Center’s Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, who was the first breast cancer survivor to serve as president of the American Cancer Society. “We’ve seen how useful it has been for
patients with breast cancer and recognize the need to provide this service for all of our patients. This program is a real resource for our patients and helps to empower them to
become more active partners in their treatment and recovery.”
The University of Connecticut Health Center includes the schools
of medicine and dental medicine, John Dempsey Hospital, the UConn
Medical Group and University Dentists. Founded in 1961, the Health
Center pursues a mission of providing outstanding health care
education in an environment of exemplary patient care, research and
public service. To learn more about
the UConn Health Center, visit our website at
www.uchc.edu.
Note: News professionals are invited to visit the Office of
Communications homepage at
www.uchc.edu/ocomm/ for archived news releases and other
information.
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