Inspiring, Supporting the Next Generation of Caregivers

Elaine Hieber’s respect for Mary Greeley’s role in supporting community health and staff excellence at all levels, coupled with her appreciation of the medical center’s employees seeking to advance their career goals through further education, led her to establish a scholarship for staff through the Mary Greeley Foundation. Elaine first provided for an endowed scholarship through her estate plan, then decided to begin funding the scholarship annually as well so she could make a difference right away and meet some of her scholarship recipients.

One impetus for establishing the scholarship was Elaine’s recent opportunity to interact with technicians and support staff in connection with a friend’s hospital stay. She was impressed with how many were enrolled in educational programs as a way to meet their career goals. She remembers one young woman who was taking six hours of chemistry in summer school, working full-time as a hospital transporter, and working a part-time job to earn enough to attend nursing school. Another example is that of a licensed practical nurse (LPN) and a mother of five, who worked the night shift so she could spend time with her family but also earn enough to obtain her RN degree.

“I’ve always valued education, and I believe it is important to help others succeed and achieve,” says Elaine, who noted several other examples of exceptional staff in addition to those above. “That is what a scholarship should be about. It is a thank-you to those who are working hard to get ahead by lending a hand, so they don’t face such a financial burden to advance their skills.”

As a retired athletics administrator who served Iowa State University for 23 years, Elaine says she has great respect and appreciation for the support Mary Greeley has provided for multiple community initiatives. In more than two decades as the university liaison for the annual Special Olympics Iowa Games, Elaine was aware of the contributions Mary Greeley made to those events, as well as to the successful first-ever USA Special Olympics National Summer Games that were held in Ames in 2006. As chair of those games, she spoke of Mary Greeley contributions, saying “That level of community engagement speaks to what Mary Greeley Medical Center means to this community.”

In addition to working with Mary Greeley at the Special Olympics, Elaine was co-chair of the Healthiest Ames initiative, which aimed to contribute to then Governor Terry Branstad’s vision of making Iowa the healthiest state in the United States. Mary Greeley was among the first organizations to get behind the effort.

Elaine’s annual gift created the J. Elaine Hieber Scholarship, and is awarded each year to a Mary Greeley employee in good standing and enrolled in an accredited program leading to a career in direct patient care, including but not limited to nursing. Through her will, Elaine has endowed the scholarship to ensure it will continue benefiting Mary Greeley staff for generations to come.

The estate gift puts Elaine into select company as a member of the Greeley Society. Named in honor of Captain Wallace Greeley, the Greeley Society honors those who have invested in Mary Greeley Medical Center long into the future by establishing a planned gift.

You can give back with an estate gift — as Elaine has — to ensure the best in staff enrichment and unparalleled patient care at Mary Greeley Medical Center. Contact Sarah Heineman at 515-239-2421 or heineman@mgmc.com to learn more.