Our friends at Overlake Medical Center & Clinics are stepping up as Silver Sponsors for our 23rd Annual Step up to the Plate Benefit Luncheon on April 23.
We sat down with Joy Campbell, the Community Engagement Manager at Overlake Medical Center, to discuss why Overlake prioritizes supporting our mission to provide stability and self-sufficiency for Bellevue children and families.
Joy shared that it all comes down to the simple fact that healthcare begins in the community. “Overlake Medical Centers is part of the community,” shared Joy. “Some people don’t realize that Overlake is a nonprofit hospital itself, and one of our goals when it comes to giving is to make sure that we’re intentional about the partners we support.”
Every three years, Overlake Medical Center publishes a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA), which outlines how Overlake gives back to the community in the form of healthcare and other community services to address unmet community needs. Overlake directs its support towards local Eastside organizations, prioritizing initiatives in cancer, access to healthcare, housing and homelessness, mental health, and substance abuse.
The CHNA helps identify the top unmet needs affecting a person’s health and well-being. Joy, who uses the assessment to help guide the medical center’s giving, shared that these are the needs our hospitals should be concerned with.
“Overlake has been supporting Bellevue LifeSpring’s mission for many years. For us, it’s important that Bellevue LifeSpring works so closely with the Bellevue School District to identify and help the children that need assistance meeting their basic needs,” shared Joy. “When I first met Kris from the Bellevue LifeSpring team, she shared with me a statistic that made my jaw drop. She said 22% of Bellevue school children live in poverty. I thought to myself, “What? There’s no way.” When I repeat that same statistic to others, I’m constantly flabbergasting people.”
It’s true. In a community overflowing with abundance, many people don’t realize that one in four students who attend the Bellevue School District are experiencing food and housing insecurity. With the investments made by local businesses and organizations, like Overlake Medical Center, we can continue our work to ensure financial hardships do not hinder children’s educational experiences.
Joy steps up as a Table Captain!
Joy is also joining us again this year as a Table Captain and inviting her colleagues to learn more about the needs here in Bellevue. Table Captains are the backbone of the luncheon and help drive attendance and impact.
Being a new table captain can sometimes be intimidating. We asked Joy to share her top tip for those who may be stepping up as Table Captains for the first time this year.
“This may sound weird, but I find the most helpful thing you can do is to not look at inviting people only because you know they will donate. Instead, reach out to those people in your circle who you think might really be impacted by what they hear and learn at the luncheon,” said Joy. “I want to invite the person who will leave the Meydenbauer Center on April 23 and spread the word about Bellevue LifeSpring’s impact on our community. I want to invite the person who will come back to the event again year after year. It’s like the six degrees of separation. You never know who your table guests will talk to about what they learned.”
Looking ahead to our luncheon this April, Joy shared that she eagerly anticipates the stories of impact and collective celebration of Bellevue LifeSpring’s achievements. “At the luncheon, you’re in a room with people that want to help,” shared Joy. “It’s indescribable because regardless of whatever differences we may all have, and we’re in a world where everything seems to be black and white, you’re in a room with hundreds of other people, and the only reason they’re there is because they want positive change. I love the energy.”
As a mom, Joy underscored the transformative power of supporting children during their formative years. “As a mom myself, I know that when children are supported during their critical years, and they feel supported by their community, it benefits them in the future. I think positively affecting somebody’s future is one of the most impactful ways to give. If you can lift even one person out of poverty, even one kid, it makes all the difference in the world.”
Join Joy and Silver Sponsors Overlake Medical Center & Clinics in making a difference at our Step Up to the Plate Benefit Luncheon on April 23! Learn more.
