Louisiana State University School of Medicine in Shreveport
Special Events, Projects, Programs, or Campaigns
Silver
An Evening for Healers is the signature fundraising event for the LSU Health Shreveport Foundation (LSUHSF) whose mission is to inspire donors to invest in LSU Health Shreveport (LSUHS) and steward contributions toward its support. The Foundation supports LSUHS’s three-part mission of education, patient care, and research to advance the well-being of the state, region, and beyond.
The LSUHSF hosted An Evening for Healers on Thursday, August 31, 2023. In its 12th year, Healers has raised more than $3 million to help LSUHS recruit and retain top faculty, acquire cutting-edge equipment, and support programs for students. The event has served as a platform to honor and celebrate the Shreveport-Bossier community’s first responders, physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, and other healthcare providers who each played a vital role in saving the lives of patients at Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport (OLHS), North Louisiana’s only Level 1 Trauma Center, while raising mission-critical funding for LSUHS. Since the event’s inception, 27 moving patient stories have been shared via documentary videos and more than 875 dedicated first responders and healthcare heroes have been honored.
What was the most impactful part of your entry?
As the signature fundraiser for LSUHS, Healers raises vital funds for the Chancellor’s Fund, which supports world-class educational opportunities, leading expert patient care, and conducting transformational research. The goal was to raise $500,000 in sponsorships and donations. Ultimately Healers 2023 was the second consecutive year that sponsorships and donations topped $500,000 and increased 14.5% from the previous record-breaking year. An Evening for Healers 2023 raised $595,230 in sponsorships and donations.
For the first time in 12 years, we shared the story of a loss, in addition to the patient stories with positive outcomes. We would have never approached a family with the request, but the patient’s mother, Shanna, is an LSU Health Shreveport employee, whose daughter was cared for at our clinical partner, Ochsner LSU Health. Shanna approached us about telling her daughter, Kerrington’s story and honoring her caregivers. It was a tremendous opportunity to share the mental health epidemic among young adults and to highlight the psychiatry department’s clinical services.
What challenge did you overcome?
An Evening for Healers is a very well-established event in our market. One challenge we faced in the 12th year was keeping the event fresh and exciting for people to attend, and recruiting new support when we have already tapped the market. We selected a multi-generational family who are intimately connected to campus as event chairs to be enthusiastic advocates of Healers. Healers 2023 was the best year to date both in fundraising and execution in part because of their efforts which yielded 5 new sponsors with $20,000 in support and additional ticket sales.
Contact:
Katie Bursley
kbursley@lsuhsfoundation.org