At the Claudia Mayer/Tina Broccolino Cancer Resource Center (CMTBCRC), patients and their families can find comfort and compassion in counseling and support groups, integrative health therapies, educational resources, and personal wig and hair services. The CMTBCRC is located on the campus of Howard County General Hospital (HCGH), a Johns Hopkins community hospital in Columbia, Maryland.
Most support services offered at the center are provided at no cost to the client. During the pandemic when job loss and uncertainty skyrocketed, the center provided social and emotional support to those experiencing a cancer diagnosis. And thanks to the generosity of donors, the center has continued to meet these needs without interruption.
“Now more than ever, it is essential to have world-class medical care right here in Howard County. I am proud to support the CMTBCRC and hope that my giving will inspire others to invest in this wonderful place of hope and ensure the center’s doors remain open,” says Howard County local Paul Miller.
George Doetsch, a longtime Howard County resident and business owner, agrees. “I believe it is my duty as a community leader to support critical programs and services that benefit our residents,” he says. “When I was asked to make a gift to the CMTBCRC endowment, I said ‘yes’ without hesitation.”
The endowment received an additional boost of support from Howard County resident, business owner, and community leader Elizabeth Rendón-Sherman, immediate past chair of the HCGH Board of Trustees. Her family and her company LG-TEK both have a long history of giving to the center, which is named in memory of Claudia Mayer and in honor of Tina Broccolino, a longtime advocate and supporter of HCGH. Tina’s husband Vic Broccolino is a former president and CEO of HCGH.
“I raised my family in Howard County and built a business in this community,” says Rendón-Sherman. “The value of world-class, compassionate care in our backyard is immeasurable. Both my family and business recognize the vision and dedicated advocacy of Vic and Tina Broccolino. It is my honor and privilege to give back to HCGH and help the CMTBCRC fulfill its mission and serve future generations.”
With a gift of $250,000, The LG-TEK and Mark and Elizabeth Sherman Endowment in Honor of Vic and Tina Broccolino was established. The fund will provide annual, critical support for the center’s operations.
“We are delighted to have supported the CMTBCRC since Tina co-founded it in 1998,” says Vic Broccolino. “With this gift, our dear friends Elizabeth and Mark have created a legacy of hope for cancer patients and survivors in our community, and we hope that others will be inspired to join us to ensure the center’s doors remain open for all who need it.”
“A gift of this magnitude is transformational; it not only benefits the center today but will provide funding in perpetuity. We still have work to do to fully fund the endowment, and we are grateful to LG-TEK and the Sherman family for their investment and leading the charge,” says Elizabeth Edsall Kromm, president of the Howard Hospital Foundation and vice president of Population Health and Advancement at HCGH.
Topics: Friends of Johns Hopkins Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Strengthening Partnerships