‘You get back what you give,’ says Mary Weiler

One person can make a big difference and Mary Weiler is one of those people. It was Mary who inspired the launch of the hospital's staff giving program even before the hospital was open!

"It was in a meeting where I was reporting on the support for hospital programs that we'd been receiving from foundations and donors, when Mary spoke up and asked if there would soon be a way for staff to make small gifts of our own," recalls Dyan Sublett, President, MLK Community Health Foundation. "Mary's enthusiasm excited all of us there that day and we decided to start right away on creating our staff giving program."

"My previous employers had staff giving programs," Mary explains. "I thought, ‘If we’re not ready to give from our hearts, then how can we ask outsiders to support us?’"

Masked older white woman holding a sign that says loves MLKCH

You can’t see the need in this community and not want to give.

Mary Weiler
Director, Medical Staff Administration

As the Director of Medical Staff Administration, Mary was the 50th employee hired at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital. She grew up less than 10 miles from the hospital and today she lives between Hawthorne and El Segundo.

Since she spoke up eight years ago in that staff meeting, employee giving has raised more than $290,000 for the hospital’s general fund—making a difference for thousands of patients each year. That difference is felt in the community.

“Everywhere I go, people ask me where I work and when I tell them, everyone has a story. 'My mom was there last week,' or 'My cousin was just there.' I hear all these positive comments about the care we give at MLKCH and how everyone is so thrilled to have a hospital back in the community.”

The community's joy and appreciation for the quality of care at MLKCH is a unique reward of working here, says Mary. “We have patients come up to us and say, 'Thank you. Keep doing what you’re doing.'"

"You get back what you give," believes Mary. She knows that MLKCH staff give of themselves daily and come to work with genuine caring. For her, giving a charitable gift through payroll deduction is an extension of that caring.

"You get out of your job and your experience here what you put into it.”

Today, Mary continues to serve on the volunteer leadership committee for MLKCH Gives—the employee giving program she set in motion eight years ago. She's proud of how many staff participate in the campaign and are excited to give back to the place where they work.

“I think MLKCH Gives creates such a family feeling that we’re all doing this together," she says. "I think it shows that there’s a lot of heart here.”

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