One-Day Shopping Extravaganza Raises Nearly $300,000 for Medical Services to Low-Income Adults
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Unemployment decreased in Lane County since 2009, from double to single digits, but the low-income, medically uninsured increased by 7000. VIM provides low-income adults medical care because they are ineligible for government programs such as Medicaid but are unable to afford care on their own.
VIM has the expressed mission of serving low-income adults with income between 85% and 200% of the federal poverty level because they make too much money to qualify for government programs (e.g., state Medicaid and federal community health centers) but work at low-paying jobs that either don’t provide health insurance or pay too little for them to afford health insurance on their own.
Patients at VIM have access to free comprehensive health services, five days a week, including two night shifts to ensure adults have access to care at a time that fits their work schedule. Services include primary medical care; mental health services; women’s health care; diabetic education programs and other education and behavior programs; free prescriptions; and free laboratory, testing and imaging services.
As the demand for services has increased fivefold since VIM opened in 2001, so has the need to increase fundraising. Oregon has one of the highest number of nonprofits per capita than most states, according to the National Center for Charitable Statistics, and many nonprofits vie for limited resources and donor attention. But VIM successfully leveraged one thing it does well — volunteer recruitment (on average 460 volunteers per month) — for medical services in the name of fundraising to create one of the most successful and fun fundraising events in Lane County, called One Fine Day; an event of such elegance and style that word of mouth made it a sellout and raised approximately $296,000 for the clinic, a huge contribution to the $1.5 million VIM needs to raise this year to meet the need in our community for low-income adults to have access to care.
The One Fine Day event was helmed by a committee of more than 30 Lane County women who, out of concern for our community’s access to health care, volunteered their time and energy throughout the year to put on this major event, but involved more than 60 volunteers the day of the event who came out in force to support the shopping extravaganza that featured 485 donated fine handbags, jewelry and art during the annual silent auction and luncheon. Fine gifts and entertainment packages were donated and went to the highest bidders. The One Fine Boutique featured 22 donated couture and designer items and nearly 50 theme baskets were auctioned, as well.
The more than 60 volunteers were important in supporting the success of the sold-out event that reinforces how much volunteers – both medical and nonmedical volunteers — are crucial to all the efforts of the VIM clinic to remove barriers to health care for low-income people in the community who, surveys show, would go without health care (to pay for other basic needs such as food and shelter) because they make too little money to afford medical care on their own, or because of their income do not qualify for government assistance.
More About This Charity
Region
West
Category
Health and Well Being
Name
Volunteers In Medicine Clinic
Mission
VIM’s mission is ‘to understand and serve the health and wellness needs of the medically under-served and their households who live and work in the greater Lane County area.’
Impact
- This Achievement raised $296,000
- This Charity has raised $1,597,428 in the past year.
- This Charity has provided 12,000 patient visits to low-income, uninsured adults who face barriers to medical care.
Works In
United States
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