How the Riverside Healthcare Foundation Helps Our Community—And How You Can Give

The Riverside Healthcare Foundation plays a key role in keeping high-quality healthcare close to home. 

How? We turn to the expertise of Logan Miller, Donor Relations and Estate Planning Manager. He spends his days connecting community members with the programs that matter most to them.

“My job is to build relationships and build bridges between those who want to give toward Riverside. Then, plug them into programs and impacts that match well with their interests,” he explains.

What Is the Riverside Healthcare Foundation?

Riverside is a community hospital and a nonprofit organization. It does not have a for-profit arm that funds its programs. That’s where the Foundation comes in.

“The Foundation is the fundraising arm for Riverside Healthcare,” Logan says. It supports projects and programs that go beyond the normal yearly budgets. These efforts include:

•    Advance cutting-edge care
•    Improve the patient experience
•    Strengthen the health of the region

Best of all, every dollar raised stays local. That means gifts help your neighbors, friends, and family here in the community.

What Does the Foundation Fund?

The Foundation focuses on four main areas: facilities, equipment, programs, and scholarships.

Facilities: A major example is the expansion of the cancer center in Bourbonnais. Donor support helped grow the building so patients can receive cancer care close to home.

Equipment: Foundation gifts have helped buy advanced tools. For example, the linear accelerator for radiation therapy. And, equipment for neurosurgery and the Heart and Vascular Institute.

Programs: Some programs support patients’ basic needs. One example is Glen’s Guardian Angel, a fund started by CEO Phil Kambic and his wife, Lynda. It provides warm, new clothing to patients who arrive at the hospital underdressed. This is especially essential in winter. “We’re not only talking about direct healthcare,” Logan offers. “The whole person is leaving better than we found them.” Other programs include Reach Out and Read. This initiative provides age- and ethnicity-appropriate books for children at pediatric visits. Another is Wellness Within Reach, which supports community health services.

Scholarships: The Foundation also invests in Riverside staff. So far in 2025, it has raised more than $50,000 in scholarships. These funds help nurses, physicians, techs, and other team members further their education. “Our people are part of the community,” Logan shares. “Our donors are passionate about making our people better at what they do.”

Big Gifts, Small Gifts; Both Matter Some donors make large gifts after many years of care.

 Logan recalls the story of a polio survivor who felt the care at Riverside was “starting to feel too one-sided.” This person donated tens of thousands of dollars to enhance the very areas where they received treatment. But, small gifts matter too. Many people give recurring donations in amounts that fit their budget. “Generosity heals,” Logan notes. Small gifts, given over time, add up and create “ripple effects” through programs, facilities, and scholarships. Logan and his own family give this way as well, through a recurring gift every two weeks.

Why Year-End Giving Matters About one-third of all charitable giving happens in December.

 Those year-end gifts help the Foundation plan for the next year’s projects, programs, and upgrades. Many donors also think about the tax benefits of giving before December 31. Yet, Logan emphasizes people give because they care about the impact. “If you’re going to give back, wouldn’t you rather that money go to a charity that you care about?”

How You Can Help There are many ways to support the Riverside Healthcare Foundation: 

•    Make a one-time or recurring gift online

•    Give in honor or memory of someone special

•    Explore estate planning and legacy gifts through Riverside’s no-cost estate planning program 

•    Sponsor or attend fundraising events like the ProAm golf outing or Heart Ball

To learn more, visit riversidehealthcare.org/foundation or email foundation@rhc.net. As Logan says, there’s “no commitment in asking questions.” Every act of generosity helps keep excellent care within reach for our community.