Monthly Archives: August 2010

New United Way of South Hampton Roads CEO Visits St. Mary’s Home

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Standing, from left: Nicole Hoskins Jones, St. Mary’s director of recreational therapy services; Carol McCormack, the new CEO and president of United Way of South Hampton Roads; Mary Helen Hilton, St. Mary’s director of annual giving; William C. Giermak, St. Mary’s CEO. In front: Shanyla, who lives at St. Mary’s Home. (Photo by Re:Act Media.)
St. Mary’s Home recently welcomed Carol McCormack, the new CEO and president of United Way of South Hampton Roads. We are pleased to be one of the 70 worthy partner agencies supported by UWSHR. Get ready for campaign season, and LIVE UNITED.

First accepted into the Norfolk Community Chest in 1955, St. Mary’s Home has valued our relationship with United Way for many years. The Norfolk Community Chest became the United Way of South Hampton Roads in 1984, and for more than 50 years we have relied on generous support from this nonprofit organization.

As summer ends, we welcome the opportunity to join United Way colleagues in presentations and tours to share with others the difference their contributions make in the lives of our children and young adults at St. Mary’s.We look forward to the annual Day of Caring each September and appreciate the number of incredible projects volunteers accomplish on this day throughout Hampton Roads.

Win a Car and Help the Children of St. Mary’s Home

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The Beetle pulls up to the entrance of St. Mary’s Home.

Checkered Flag Volkswagen in Virginia Beach has generously donated a new Salsa Red 2010 VW Beetle to St. Mary’s Auxiliary Board, which will raffle off the car to benefit the children of St. Mary’s Home. The car arrived on Tuesday, Aug. 3, for display in St. Mary’s front lobby. Raffle tickets go on sale Sept. 1 for $50 apiece; only 800 tickets will be sold. Details coming soon on  St. Mary’s website. The winning ticket will be drawn during the Auxiliary’s auction on Feb. 19, 2011.

“I was really moved by the level of care that St. Mary’s gives to these children,” said Todd Collins, general manager of Checkered Flag Volkswagen. “What they do here is unbelievable. The level of care is something like I’ve never seen before.”

Gathered around the car on display in St. Mary’s lobby are, from left, Kamaia, Amonte, Director of Development Martha Stewart, Auxiliary Board President Karen Hibbard, Jahmari and CEO William C. Giermak, all of St. Mary’s Home, and Todd Collins, general manager of Checkered Flag’s Hyundai/Volkswagen division, and Christine Knowles, eMarketing diretor of Checkered Flag Motor Car Corp., Inc. Seated behind the desk is receptionist Delores Curry.

For more photos of the Beetle’s arrival, be sure to check out St. Mary’s Facebook page.

Here’s a video of the Beetle’s arrival:

Thank You, and Goodbye

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Carla Aquino, St. Mary’s chief of nursing, left, with her mother,
 primary nurse Cora Culabutan, who recently retired from St. Mary’s after 18 years. 
Housekeeper Lovine White, who also just retired, after 10 years of service. 

They came from different departments, but each of the two employees whose retirements were recently celebrated have left lasting impacts upon the children and staff of St. Mary’s Home for Disabled Children. 
On Tuesday, staff gathered to say goodbye to housekeeper Lovine White. During a farewell party in the Atrium, CEO William C. Giermak thanked White for all the hard work she has done in her 10 years at St. Mary’s. He noted that St. Mary’s five-year-old building still feels new because of the efforts of White and other members of the environmental services department, and “having a new facility contributes directly to the care of the children.”

The next day, it was time for another party, this time to say goodbye to Cora Culabutan, a primary nurse in charge of one of St. Mary’s four residential neighborhoods. She worked at St. Mary’s for 18 years. “Nursing service is the backbone” of St. Mary’s, Giermak said. “We’re losing a pretty key component of that backbone.”

Carla Aquino, St. Mary’s chief nursing officer, also is Culabutan’s daughter. She said her mother inspired her to do her best and also inspired her colleagues at the Home. “She will always be a part of St. Mary’s,” Aquino said.

“I want to thank everyone for all the support, the love and the caring,” Culabutan said.