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This was more than just another gala of fitting into your glittery ball gown or your tuxedo and black-tie best.
This was a testament to community health care. A testament to health care leaders of yesteryear, today and our tomorrows to come.
“When I came here 34 years ago, I couldn’t have imagined this,” Dr. Rakesh Gupta, president of the Cape Fear Valley Health Foundation, would tell 450 health care professionals and foundation advocates at the “Greatest Needs Gala: 30 Years of Impact” gathering of the Cape Fear Health Foundation at the Ellison Auditorium in the Center for Medical Education and Neuroscience Institute on the Cape Fear Valley Health campus. “It takes a village, and believe me, you are that village.”
Gupta’s words resonated with Mike Nagowski, chief executive officer of the Cape Fear Valley Health System.
“If it wasn’t for you and the foundation, we wouldn’t have a medical school and this institute,” Nagowski, 59, told Gupta, the retired gastroenterologist who has played a leading role in bringing the Methodist University Cape Fear Valley Health School of Medicine to the Cape Fear Valley Medical School campus on Village Drive. “The foundation’s board of trustees has always been there for us. I’ve always said a great health system starts with great foundations. Tonight, we are gratified for the shoulders on which we stand. Tonight, we have the opportunity to see the impact of 30 years.”
You didn’t have to look far throughout this spacious auditorium to witness those who give their support to this foundation, circa 1995, and their philanthropy for the health care of a community and counties beyond. They are just there with their checkbooks, and they are not alone. There are so many other unsung foundation heroes and heroines, who quietly give with generous hearts for the health of others.
“We had hoped for $30,000 in honor of our 30-year anniversary, so we were thrilled with the generous contributions on Saturday night,” said Sabrina Brooks, who is a vice president with the health system and has served as director of the foundation since 2013. “We raised $70,000. When combined with the sponsorships, we will surpass $300,000 in gross revenue for the gala.
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“This is the most the foundation has ever raised at an event in its history.
“For us to have this level of community support is a testament to the importance of philanthropy in health care,” Brooks said. “On Saturday, we showed the community items the foundation has funded and shared stories of impact. I think doing this helped attendees to see and experience firsthand how their gifts make a difference to patient care. This support will allow us to continue to support the exceptional health care provided by Cape Fear Valley Health in all the communities we serve.”
Brooks says the foundation has raised more than $40 million in its three decades of the benevolence that was founded in 1995 by the late John Carlisle, who was chief executive officer for Cape Fear Hospital, along with board of directors’ trustees Tony Cimaglia, John Buie, Leonard Hedgepeth and the late Dr. Harold Godwin.
“Over the past 30 years, we have had other dedicated leaders from many aspects of the community to include Lucy Wofford, Lonnie Player, Bill Hurley, Tom Costello, Lucy Jones, Emily Schaefer, Ryan Aul and now Dr. Rakesh Gupta,” Brooks said. “Today, we stand on the shoulders of the past leaders and the work they started 30 years ago. It is an honor for the current board and staff to continue this work and expand the impact to those seeking health care from Cape Fear Valley Health.”
No matter the health care issue, you will find the foundation’s fingerprints, be it newborns, those struggling with diabetes, cancer and cardiac patients among them. And not just in this community, but at the Bladen County Hospital Foundation and Harnett Health Foundation. Where there’s a health care need, Sabrina Brooks and the foundations and the philanthropists are there.
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There are 13 endowments for the Cape Fear Valley Health Foundation, according to Brooks, with the largest being the $1 million Irene Thompson Byrd Cancer Care Endowment. Others totaling about $4 million, Brooks says, are the Charles B.C. Holt Diabetes Endowment; the Highsmith Rainey Nursing Scholarship Endowment; the CATO Nursing Scholarship Endowment; the Caduceus Society Endowment; the Southeastern Speech and Hearing Endowment; the Nursing Scholarship Endowment; the Tom J. Keith Family Medical Research Endowment; the Cumberland County Medication Access Program Endowment; the Sparzak OB/GYN Research Endowment; the Alzheimer’s Program Endowment; the Dr. Chris Aul Patient Safety and Quality Endowment; and the Joan Lucas Memorial Scholarship Endowment.
While the evening was one of celebration of three decades of the Cape Fear Valley Health Foundation, it was one of the heartfelt testimonials – the first from Joanne Lowe, 46, who told of how the foundation was there for her during a complicated and potential life-and-death pregnancy “where my OBGYN advised one or both us might not survive.”
She looked into the audience toward her daughter Reagan Anderson, 19, who is a student majoring in music at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
“We are both here today,” Lowe said. “Your giving changed our lives.”
A second testimonial was from Lori Kinney, who remembered the care her late mother-in-law received at the Cape Fear Cancer Center.
“I vowed to her to honor her memory by honoring her wish to support cancer patients any way I can,” Kinney said. “This has led me to become a proud member of the Cape Fear Valley Friends of the Cancer Center as well as an advocate for family caregivers. As I stand here today, I am honoring her wish that our family support the CFV Cancer Center so that they may continue to touch the lives of cancer patients in the same amazing way they did for her.”
And a third testimonial was from Dr. Josh Barkman, who told us about how the Cape Fear Valley Health Emergency Services first responders were there for his late father, Dr. David Barkman, the Fayetteville veterinarian who suffered a stroke on Dec. 13, 2024, and was recovering at the Cape Fear Valley Medical Center’s Rehabilitation Center before his death at age 76 on Jan. 16, 2024.
“We had, because of EMS, another 30 days [with our father] we wouldn’t have had,” said Josh Barkman, who followed in his father’s veterinarian footsteps. “We lived a lifetime of memories with him we could not have had. EMS stepped up for my Dad and family. We will forever be grateful.”
There was a hush throughout the auditorium. A sister quietly wept after hearing her brother’s words.
This was a grand and poignant evening that would touch your heart.
“We are deeply grateful to our sponsors, donors and attendees who made our 2025 gala an unforgettable evening” Mike Nagowski later told me. “The powerful and heartfelt patient stories shared beautifully showcased the life-changing impact of the Cape Fear Valley Health Foundation’s work, reminding us all of the extraordinary difference we can make together.
“This gala was more than a celebration of 30 years. It was a testament to the exceptional generosity of this community.
“Together, we exceeded all expectations, demonstrating the incredible impact we can achieve when we unite for a common cause,” Nagowski said. “The funds raised will allow us to continue providing critical support to patients and families when they need it most. Thank you for believing in our mission and for making this milestone event so meaningful. Here’s to another 30 years of transforming lives and making a difference.”
Friday: A promise made is a promise kept
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
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Bill Kirby Jr. is a veteran journalist who spent 49 years as a newspaper editor, reporter and columnist covering Fayetteville, Cumberland County and the Cape Fear Region for The Fayetteville Observer. He most recently has written for CityView Magazine.
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January 2025
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