The new Lourdes Hospice Care Center will be named in honor of Ray and Kay Eckstein, for a generous $1.5 million commitment by the Eckstein Charitable Trust. Once constructed, the center will bear the name The Ray and Kay Eckstein Hospice Care Center at Lourdes. The 10,000 square-foot Center will bring inpatient hospice services into one designated location to enhance care and provide a home-like atmosphere for patients and their families.

Lourdes Foundation embarked on a $7 million fundraising campaign to fully fund the construction of the facility and to create an endowment fund for future patient care needs. The campaign is approximately $350,000 from achieving its total goal. Construction of the Center is set to begin in the spring of 2014.

The Ecksteins have firsthand experience with the need for an inpatient hospice care facility. Their son-in-law, Tom Erickson, passed away from cancer in 2011 as a Lourdes patient. “The hospice setting would have been far more comfortable for Tom’s family and many friends who visited during those last days,” said Ray Eckstein. “We are honored to provide funding for the Hospice Care Center at Lourdes.”

The Ecksteins have generously supported other philanthropic initiatives at Lourdes. In 2008, the Ecksteins gave $1 million to help build the Ray and Kay Eckstein Cardiovascular Institute. “A charitable partnership with donors like Mr. and Mrs. Eckstein allow us to join forces with a shared mission to meet the healthcare needs of this community,” said Tara Miller, Lourdes Vice President & Chief Philanthropy Officer.

Lourdes and the Eckstein family have a common passion for providing basic needs to those less fortunate. Through their private foundation, the Ecksteins have donated considerable sums to food pantries, soup kitchens and senior nutrition programs. In addition, orphanages, dental clinics and facilities for the developmentally disabled have also been funded. “They have a strong commitment to sharing their blessings with those in need of the basics – food, shelter, health care, and education,” said

Teresa Eckstein, Trustee of the Ray & Kay Eckstein Charitable Trust. Teresa’s sister, Sue Homra, also a Trustee, said, “When learning about the Campaign for the Lourdes Hospice Care Center, we were open to making a considerable gift because of our alignment of goals and our confidence in Lourdes as an institution.”

The trustees of the Eckstein Charitable Trust are Ray and Kay Eckstein and their daughters, Cindy Erickson, Sue Homra and Teresa Eckstein. “The Trustees unanimously approved the grant to Lourdes Foundation in support of the Hospice Care Center at Lourdes,” noted Homra.