Former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL quarterback Tim Tebow will be speaking at the Burke County Health Foundation’s inaugural fundraiser event at the Burke County High School Auditorium on Thursday, Nov. 10.
“The Burke County Health Foundation was started by an idea that was sparked and brought to life by a nine-member group of community professionals who represent the foundation board, and essentially it started to provide both access and continuity of care for the underprivileged in Burke County,” said Gina Richardson, county nurse manager at B. Lamar Public Health Center.
The Burke County Health Foundation was established earlier this year in April. The organization filed a certificate of incorporation with the secretary of state in early April and submitted the 501(c)3 application to the IRS. The application was approved as a non-profit only weeks later.
“It is 100% Burke County supported, and I am just thrilled to be a part of this,” Richardson said. “Public health in Burke County is the partnering agency for the Burke County Health Foundation. It is just a wonderful opportunity for us and public health to better manage our patients. It is the first in our district and this is a first in our state.”
She added, “We are proud to be pillars of preventative health, but sometimes our patients require a little bit more than we can provide. So the beauty of the foundation is where it will step in to complement services that are already being provided in the public health sector so that our clinicians can better manage their patients,” Richardson said. “It provides access and continuity of care for patients who fall within a gap of care where they don’t qualify for state and federal programs and legitimately cannot pay for services.”
Richardson how someone becomes eligible for the Burke County Health Foundation.
“What would make somebody eligible for the Burke County Health Foundation is that they are a Burke County resident, that they are an established public health patient in Burke County and they meet current year federal poverty guidelines,” she said.
For the kickoff fundraiser event, the Burke County Health Foundation invited Tim Tebow to speak.
“He was just an ideal choice. He has just a true spirit and is a top-notch genuine guy,” Richardson said. “I could not think of a better person to help us launch. We are all about our community and this healthcare initiative has been 100% embraced by our Burke County businesses in our community and it is about neighbors taking care of neighbors.”
Tickets for the event are $50 each, and each ticket purchased comes with a chance to win a RECTEQ Grill. Doors will open at 5:45 p.m. with the event beginning at 6:30 p.m.
