PVH and MCR Foundation [name changed to UCHealth Northern Colorado Foundation in 2019] has formed a legacy society, the Circle of Caring, to honor those who have made provisions for our local hospitals in their estate plans, such as a will, trust, life insurance policy, retirement plan, or through a life income plan, such as a charitable remainder trust or a charitable lead trust.

Circle of Caring donors leave their imprint on health care at Medical Center of the Rockies and Poudre Valley Hospital through thoughtful, planned gifts from their estate. Their giving ensures that financial resources are available to continue to advance world-class health care for future generations in our community.

“Circle of Caring provides a powerful way for donors to strengthen our community’s resources and ensure that financial resources will be available to sustain the standards we provide the community,” explained Philanthropic Giving Officer at PVH and MCR Foundation, Gail Cumming, CFRE. “A planned gift can be applied to a specific program or project, such as a scholarship program or a wing of the hospital. Unless the specific cause has been identified, we use the gift in an area of most urgent need.”

Circle of Caring Spotlight – The Titus Scholarship for Nurse Leaders

For Richard G. Titus, the kindness and care he received from nurses at PVH and MCR left a long-lasting impression. So much so that he left a bequest totaling more than $520,000 to the PVH and MCR Foundation for employee scholarships. A portion of the gift is held in an endowment to support scholarships in perpetuity. The remainder established the Richard G. Titus Scholarship for Nurse Leaders. Scholarships are awarded on a competitive basis to nursing staff employed at UCHealth in the system’s northern region that are seeking a Bachelor of Science in nursing (BSN). The scholarship fund is directed to honor and assist those engaged in the nursing profession, and to further Titus’ lifelong passionate commitment to education.

Erin Baer

To date, 12 nurse leader scholarships in the amount of $5,500 and six regular scholarships totaling $4,000 have been awarded. Erin Baer, a registered nurse at Cancer Care and Hematology in Fort Collins, is one of the lucky and very deserving recipients. Erin had started an online program through the University of Colorado College of Nursing RN to BSN program. However, due to outstanding school loans, she had to put off continuing her education. When she saw the opportunity from the Richard G. Titus Scholarship for the Nurse Leaders Scholarship, she hoped the time had come to finish her degree. Her hopes came true, and she will complete her BSN program in May 2015.

Just as this nurse sees her dreams becoming reality in her long-term impact on her patients’ well-being, patients who receive exceptional levels of care can make a long-term impact on the health care for the next generation. Planned gifts such as the Titus Scholarship allow the PVH and MCR Foundation to continue the circle of caring and provide ongoing support for our hospitals’ most essential resource: our people.

Contribute to scholarships

To donate to our nursing and employee education scholarships, visit the foundation’s Donate page and select Nursing and Employee Education from the Designation menu.