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HOME > ABOUT > PRESS > MARIN CLINIC GETS $2.2 MILLION LIFT
Article published - January 30, 2008
Credit: Marin Independent Journal
Marin Community Clinic gets $2.2 million lift
By Richard Halstead
Two large donations from individuals have enabled the Marin Community Clinic to raise more than $7.5 million of the $9.8 million it needs to open a new health center in San Rafael's Canal neighborhood and expand operations in Novato.
The clinic, which provides care for a large percentage of Marin County's low-income and uninsured residents, needs more space to meet a growing demand for its services.
Eighty individual donors have pledged $3.9 million, said Elliot Levin, the owner of the Partnership Resources Group, a San Rafael-based fund-raising consulting firm.
Dr. Melvin Grais, a retired physician who practiced in Marin before retiring to Palo Alto, contributed $1.2 million. The John E. & Helen K. Cahill Fund, a donor-advised fund managed by the Marin Community Foundation, donated $1 million. Helen "Peggy" Cahill lives in San Rafael.
"We think there is an incredible demand to serve the uninsured in Marin County," said Jerry Cahill of Mill Valley, one of the family members who decided to make the donation. Cahill said his family was impressed by the number of groups cooperating on the project.
The county contributed $1.3 million to the effort by making the building available to the clinic at a reduced cost, in addition to channeling $50,000 in federal funds. The Marin Community Foundation supplied a $1 million grant. San Rafael chipped in $100,000.
"This is a terrific example of what community means and how partnerships can really deliver," said Linda Tavaszi, president of the clinic's board.
The new San Rafael office, at 3110 Kerner Blvd., will complement the clinic's Greenbrae and Novato offices - adding 18 exam rooms, six dental chairs, and classrooms for health education to accommodate 8,000 patients or approximately 28,000 visits annually. Many of the clinic's patients live close by in San Rafael's Canal neighborhood.
The San Rafael office will be a block from the county's planned community health complex - a $72 million project that will occupy renovated buildings at 3230, 3240, 3250, 3260 and 3270 Kerner Blvd.
Local officials Wednesday celebrated the start of renovations at the San Rafael site, which is slated to open in late spring. Among the boosters who turned out were Supervisor Steve Kinsey, San Rafael Councilman Cyr Miller and Marin Community Foundation CEO Thomas Peters.
Commenting on the Cahill Fund's contribution being equal to that of the Marin Community Foundation's, Peters said, "It's a perfect illustration that it is within this network that we're able to be of cumulative help."
In addition to managing the Buck Trust's $923 million in assets, the foundation administers charitable funds for more than 300 individuals, families and businesses.
Those giving accounts are known as "donor-advised funds" because the donors consult with the foundation regarding how their money should be spent.
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