HealthFinders has seen many volunteers over the years: students at the local colleges, physicians and dentists, professors, nurses, and many more. Some have been here since the very beginning, while others are able to share with us just a portion of their time in this community before moving on to different stages of their lives. Occasionally, a volunteer who has moved on finds ways to keep giving back to HealthFinders. Such was the case with Anne Doering, MD, a former volunteer and Carleton alum. Anne found an incredibly humbling, inspiring, and unique way to continue her support of HealthFinders and to share with others the important role HealthFinders has played in her life and in this community.
Anne Doering, MD, a first-year resident at North Memorial Hospital, and her husband Matt Kruger celebrated their wedding on June 3rd of this year. In lieu of creating a registry and receiving gifts at their wedding, Anne and Matt chose two organizations to whom wedding attendees could donate. One of these organizations was HealthFinders. Anne gave us an inspiring story for why she and her fiancé decided to ask their friends and family to charitably contribute to organizations, and why she chose HealthFinders specifically.
We wanted our wedding day to be focused on the people we love, rather than on things. We were also extremely fortunate in that we didn't need a lot of new things at the time of our wedding. Therefore, if our guests wished to show their support in a tangible way, we invited them to support our work and vision for the world by contributing to organizations we care about. I volunteered with HealthF inders while I was a student at Carleton College and again more recently as part of a medical school rotation in Faribault. The patients, staff, and volunteers at HealthF inders nurtured in me a belief that all people have a right to high-quality healthcare. It also clarified my understanding that health doesn't come about just in the clinic exam room, but rather is influenced by social, cultural, and environmental factors. I am so impressed by the way the local communit y supports the work that HealthF inder s does, and the way that HealthF inders works to collaborate and engage the community in working towards wel lbeing. My experience at HealthF inders inspired me to go to medical school and become a family physician. We later realized that one of our very own providers, Dr. James Evans, has been a friend and mentor of Anne for many years, and beyond the numerous ways he continuously supports HealthFinders, he also gave to us in honor of Anne and Matt’s wedding. HealthFinders is not only an organization that serves to increase access to healthcare in this community, but forms valuable connections and builds relationships among staff, volunteers, and our patient body. We are honored to have had such an impact on Anne’s life and that she would choose to support us in such a novel way. We are so thankful for the work of Anne and all of our other volunteers and how they help sustain and further HealthFinders’ mission and values in this community!
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