Story Posted: 2025-06-06
Every Gift Is a Story of Impact
Dave Fetsch and Carolyn Schur’s generous gift to St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation began with a simple goal: finding where their support could matter most.
“We wanted it to be for something specific, so how do we find that out?” Carolyn said.
A call to the SPH Foundation office revealed the Foundation Draws as the perfect opportunity to hear directly from the staff about areas of need in the Hospital.
The Foundation Draws is an annual event that allows Hospital departments to secure funds for essential equipment and programs not covered by other funding sources. Departments can submit applications for items ranging from $100 to $25,000. At the Draws, staff and visitors gather in the cafeteria for a celebratory event where applications are put in a draw drum and pulled by Foundation Board members until $150,000 worth of requests have been covered.
For Carolyn and Dave, it became their window into the real, everyday needs of staff and patients at St. Paul’s; “We went to come and find out what was going on, what the needs were, and as a result, where we would target the support,” Dave said.
After the event, SPH Foundation Director of Philanthropy Sandhya Padmanabh guided them through a list of Foundation Draw requests that didn’t secure funding.
“Given our criteria was what would benefit patient needs immediately, any one of those could have fit that criteria,” Carolyn said.
Ultimately, they generously donated $25,000 to fund a bladder scanner for the medical units on the 7th floor of the Hospital. Having a bladder scanner increases health care teams’ ability to properly diagnose patients on their unit, and is especially important for patients who are elderly, have kidney disease, or have received a kidney transplant. The scanner enables teams to diagnose and treat issues quickly, with faster detection and intervention significantly increasing patient comfort, decreasing the risk of infection, and minimizing complications for patients who have recently received a kidney transplant.
This isn’t their first act of giving — Carolyn has a passion for supporting charities that benefit women and children, while Dave has a history of championing causes that tackle food insecurity — but this gift to St. Paul’s carries a special weight.
For the staff who tirelessly serve, it’s a reminder that their needs are seen. For patients, it’s a promise of dignity and care.
Their gift will uplift St. Paul’s patients and families for years, a legacy they’re proud to leave.