SVHC Foundation Jingle Bell Express Raises More Than $74,000

BENNINGTON, VT—March 9, 2021—The Jingle Bell Express— a virtual holiday-themed fundraising event to benefit Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC)—welcomed more than 350 virtual attendees and raised more than $74,000 on Friday, December 18.

The centerpiece of the event was a grand raffle, including ten packages worth $1,300 – $5,000 each. Among the many prizes were $5,000 cash and a vacation in the French Riviera, dining at 13 restaurants, a stunning diamond bracelet, golf at 10 courses, and more. Those who purchased a raffle ticket or made a donation in support of The Jingle Bell Express received an e-mail including a link to the virtual experience on December 18. The presentation included greetings from Tommy Harmon, the chair of SVHC’s Board of Trustees, and clinical leaders; raffle drawings by physicians, nurses, and staff; and entertainment from world-renowned vocalist Maxine Linehan, the Dorset Barbeque Barbershop Quartet, and a specially curated WEQX 102.7 FM holiday playlist.

All proceeds of the event support SVHC during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent initiatives include advanced testing capabilities, which provide results in hours, rather than days, and advanced results-notification capabilities, so those tested receive their results in a text message.

The SVHC Foundation has many people to thank for the event’s overwhelming success, including the event committee, the many businesses and individuals who donated to the raffle drawings, and sponsors including Title Sponsor Mack; Presenting Sponsor Jerome Construction; and Lead Sponsors Bennington Subaru, Tom & Teri Haskins of All Service Citgo LLC, Hays Companies Inc., People's United Bank, and Radiology Associates of Bennington. Supporting Sponsors included CIGNA, The Dohaney Family, Hayden Plumbing & Heating, Inc., Lavallee Brensinger Architects, Jason P. and Chrissy A Morrissey, Scott and Diane Seidel, and VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region, and Host Sponsors included Alarm & Suppression Inc., The Bank of Bennington, Bennington Express Lube & Car Wash, BKD CPAs and Advisors, Burnham Gold Real Estate, and Park McCullough Historic Governor's Mansion. Catamount Access Television, iBerkshires.com, and WEQX 102.7 FM were the event’s media sponsors.

For information about the SVHC Foundation, including how to support the health of local communities, visit svhealthcare.org/support-us.

About:

Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) is a comprehensive, preeminent, health care system providing exceptional, convenient, and affordable care to the communities of Bennington and Windham Counties of Vermont, eastern Rensselaer and Washington Counties of New York, and northern Berkshire County in Massachusetts. SVHC includes Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center, the Centers for Living and Rehabilitation, and the SVHC Foundation. SVMC includes 25 primary and specialty care practices.

Southwestern Vermont Health Care is among the most lauded small rural health systems in the nation. It is the recipient of the American Hospital Association’s 2020 Rural Hospital Leadership Award. SVMC ranked forth nationwide for the value of care it provides by the Lown Institute Hospital Index and is a five-time recipient of the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence. It has also received the highest marks possible from the Leapfrog Group. 

Southwestern Vermont Medical Center provides exceptional care without discriminating on the basis of an individual’s age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, language, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. Language assistance services, free of charge, are available at 1-800-367-9559.