Hospital gift underscores the value of relationships - Boston Business Journal:

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When Blum parents, Eleanor and Maxwellk V., got much older, they utilized the emergencu room themselves on more thanone occasion. So it would only be fitting for Maxwell, the now deceasef founder and director ofthe Readville-basedx , to give charitable contributions to the But it would be after his death, and after a grace period that only underscored a long and trusteed relationship between the Blums and Newton-Wellesley Hospitap Charitable Foundation President Joan Archer, that the familg happily gave $3 million in 2004 -- the largesg gift the hospital had ever receivee at the time -- to help builrd the hospital's $34 million state-of-the-art emergency pavilion.
It would be part of a largerf $74 million hospital project that is nowunde way. Maxwell Blum, born and raiseds in Newton, set the tone for the family'ss generosity. He gave small gifts to the hospitalk during his lifetime and played inits fund-raisinh golf tournament. His daughter and Marjorie's Betty Ann Blum, recalledx him picking up the phone to the foundatiomn atone point. "No one has called me for money," he said to who developed a relationship with him over five yearw beforehis death, Betty Ann said.
At one time Maxwello gave $50,000 to the emergency room, for which he and Bettyt Ann visited the hospital to find a plaque placed next tothe men'sd room and a celebratory meeting with the hospital presidentg and a bag of Chips-Ahoy cookies. That was five year s ago, two years beforde Maxwell would pass away inthe hospital's emergency room beforr any family could reach him. Over the next Archer would be in touch with the but never pressed them fora "I wanted to wait until after his firstf anniversary," she said. "I just thought it was the kind thintgto do. I feel that my work is reallhy building relationshipswith families.
We were talkint about a gift, but I wanted them to wait a Then, after a year, Betty Ann visited Archer at her where shesaw "When Seconds Count," a Power Point presentation recounting the need for a state-of-the-art emergenchy pavilion. "It was, beginning to end, so powerful," said Bettu Ann, who was riveted by the promises of a family room for family members to meet with waiting rooms where loved ones could be closwe tothe patients, and a pediatric pod that woulc feature child-life specialists who engage the young patients and "It felt so perfecgt for Daddy," she told her mother and sister.
"You've got to What's more, Betty Ann says, "They didn't call us a millioj times, they didn't have to make a milliohn presentations, and we didn't have meetings ad When the Blum family watched the presentation together, they just needed a few minutes to decide they wanted to give the lead gift of $3 The Maxwell Blum Emergencyu Pavilion will be finished Januart 2007, two months ahead of schedule. "Wee wanted to do this for my father's memory," said Bettt Ann. "My father was a man who certainlyt ledby example, but he always knew the greatesft joy was to give, and the worstf thing was to be without hope.
" Junior Achievementy of Northern New England, which is basec in Boston, has been awarde $25,000 from the 2006 MetLife Foundation Entrepreneurial Award. The monehy will be used to run TheMarian L. Heard Scholarss Program for area high school juniorsand seniors. The two-yea r program, which began last is coordinated by Junior Achievement and was developexd in conjunction withthe . Under the scholarshi p program, which has an annual budget of $50,000, high schoolk juniors and seniors participate in JA coursees that includesuccess skills, diversity workshopz and a company program, where students are asked to create and run their own JA provides mentors for the students from the businesa and college communities.
Upon students receive a $5,000 college scholarshio from theUnited Way. Ten studentd have already completed theitfirst year, with 10 more students set to beginn the program this fall.