Heather Lee (Host): Hi, everyone. Thanks for tuning in to this latest edition of Medically Speaking. I'm your host, Heather Lee, and joining me as a special guest, Andrew Bennett, Chief Development Officer for the Foundations of Kaleida Health. So, we talk about the foundations collectively. It's actually Children's Hospital of Buffalo Foundation and the Kaleida Health Foundation, but it's really one big team that kind of does all of the work and oversees it all.

Andrew Bennett: It is. The primary goal is to have our donors who are really our clients kind of at the middle of our work. So, the focus from the whole team is, you know, ensuring that the donor interest and donor intent and, ultimately, the collective impact across the organization is met as best we can. And that's best served through kind of a unified vision with the foundation team, regardless of the site or the specific area of funding. So, we've been taking this approach for a couple years now, and it's working really well.

Host: And the team has been growing. I was a new member of the team not that long ago.

Andrew Bennett: And we are so happy she's here.

Host: Oh, well, thank you. But I think that there's something to be said about, you know, the need to grow the team because the money that is coming in and therefore going out to these different hospitals that is growing and you need all of the people to manage that. So, it's a good problem to have, needing more people.

Andrew Bennett: It is. And the need is not decreasing. It's only increasing. You know, healthcare is a very complex, ever-changing space. And, you know, philanthropy plays a really pivotal role in that, in any healthcare organization, but especially here in Buffalo and Western New York.

Kaleida, and if we reversed back to 2018, which was my first year at the foundation, we collectively had, I think, it was eight employees. And now, we're up to 24. And we've seen with that really a parallel between the dollars raised and the number of teammates that we've been able to recruit. So, it's been really, really gratifying.

Host: Yeah. You have more teammates and then you've got more donors and more coming in and we're able to do more. I think a lot of people don't realize, or there's a good number of people that don't realize that Kaleida Health is a not-for-profit hospital system. What exactly does that mean? Because I think people have this common misconception of, you know, hospitals and they're just making tons and tons of money. What is a not-for-profit hospital system?

Andrew Bennett: Sure. Simply put, we take dollars that we have would be above and beyond what we need to pay for general operating, you know, day to day to keep the business open. We take those dollars and reinvest it back in the organization. So from a foundation standpoint, you know, we try to raise what we can raise every year, and we do that to reinvest in patient care and what's happening at the bedside across the organization.

Host: And when it comes to patient care, we don't turn anybody away, regardless of their ability to pay their insurance situation, and all of that can be very expensive.

Andrew Bennett: It can. But as nonprofit and a very mission-driven organization, anyone and everyone is welcome. And you're correct, no one is ever turned away.

Host: Yeah. Let's talk about where some of that money goes to. There are a lot of things that are not covered by health insurance. And that's where the philanthropy, and that's where the foundations step in.

Andrew Bennett: Yeah, I mean, first and foremost, equipment technology, you know, our patients and families deserve the very best, and it's something that we take a lot of pride in and having the latest and greatest in technology innovation. So, those are some very basic things that we're able to invest in on behalf of the organization on an annual basis. And then, we have programs and services and some things that aren't covered whatsoever.

Host: I think of Child Life.

Andrew Bennett: Child Life's a great example. It's the one that always comes to mind. you know, it's a great team of medical professionals that are really normalizing the hospital experience for kids over at Oishei Children's Hospital. And, you know, our ability to raise those dollars and ensure that they're going to the right places, and that the teams across all of Kaleida have what they need to do their job to the best of their ability is really what we're so honored to do.

Host: Yeah. I was chatting with somebody, and sort of we use the analogy of a cell phone, like who doesn't have a cell phone these days, right? My cell phone works, it does the things that I need it to do, but the latest, greatest, newest cell phone, that version comes out, what do you want? You want the newest and the best. But when it comes to purchasing things and being able to justify those purchases, whether it's some fancy microscope or a new CT scanner, what we have might work. But the doctors know that to be at the cutting edge of something, you need the latest and greatest. And there comes with that a price tag.

Andrew Bennett: Absolutely. Things are not inexpensive. And they change. They change quickly. I mean, think of iPhone's a great example, 16 comes out, 17's going to come out not too soon after, and the next version or the updates, you know, to the operating system or whatever it might be.

Host: And before you know, your battery's not charging, so...

Andrew Bennett: It only happens to me. But no, that's very, very true. So, we could, you know, this year purchase a million-dollar piece of equipment that in 2026 might need either an add-on, a new component of software. Or in 2027, there's an entirely new version that, you know, we will communicate with the providers and say, "This is really the best thing for our patients and our talent pool to recruit the best nurses, the best physicians to be here to care for patients." And that's sort of the secret sauce and the great synergy that we have with those who are everyday caring for patients.

Host: Yeah. One of the pieces of equipment recently, you know, I work with the Champion Kids, and a patient that comes to mind is Caleb who benefited from philanthropy. And he needed a very complicated spinal surgery. And there was a very special donation, a very large donation that allowed him to have that surgery with a microscope that offers, you know, the utmost precision to give him the ability to walk and move. Talk about that donation. That was an incredible one.

Andrew Bennett: Yeah. That was a really special gift from from Scott Bieler in West Herr through the Patricia Allen Fund. And that piece of equipment, I'll leave the actual dollar amount off, but it was--

Host: It's more than an iPhone.

Andrew Bennett: It was creeping up towards a million dollars. And the advancements with it allowed our neurosurgery team to perform that procedure in a way that was faster, more efficient, recovery time was less, and easier for Caleb. And it literally did allow him or provided him the opportunity to walk and changed his life and our very small part in that to facilitate that gift on behalf of Scott and the team at West Herr really was a special moment. And then, we were able to take Caleb and his family to meet Scott, and tell the whole story with Dr. Reynolds. And it was a beautiful full circle moment.

Host: Yeah. Caleb will not take the West Herr baseball.

Andrew Bennett: He loves that hat.

Host: He loves that hat. But I remember talking to Dr. Reynolds too and, you know, she was explaining why this particular microscope. Because you're thinking, "Why in the world would you need something that costs nearly a million dollars?" And the way she explained it, to dumb it down for people like me, is imagine a spaghetti noodle and cutting it into 10 pieces, but not 10 pieces this way, 10 pieces this way. So, you're talking about, you know, millimeters, smaller than a millimeter. This is why I'm not in surgery.

Andrew Bennett: Same.

Host: Yeah, exactly. This is why we're on the fundraising side. But when you talk about needing that precision, again for life-changing and life-saving surgeries, it's incredible. You mentioned the Patricia Allen Fund. That is something that has grown beyond, I think, any of us ever could have imagined. I remember donating years ago, I was one of the people that saw it on Twitter. And sure, I'm going to donate $17 because why not? It's going to a great cause. Did you ever imagine that that would become what it is today?

Andrew Bennett: Short answer, no. I think when you really look at all of the pieces that make up a great team and a great cause, we had an established relationship with Josh back after his rookie season. And, you know, when the news came out that his grandmother had passed--

Host: And that picture of him looking up.

Andrew Bennett: That picture. And he was wearing an Oishei hat after the game, at the press conference and Bills fans did what Bills fans do. And they reacted and responded. It caught on fire. It became a storm, a really beautiful storm and a very impactful storm for Western New York and for the kids being served by the hospital. And since then, what is really unique about the whole thing is the attention it's brought to Buffalo in such a positive way. So as we know, often Buffalo gets attention for snow storms, some unfortunate football losses over the years, things like that.

Host: Say no more, say no more.

Andrew Bennett: So, I recall when it was really starting to pick up steam later that season, you know, Sunday night football, Monday night football, and the playoffs, and there was all this great footage and storytelling about, you know, the City of Good Neighbors and how friendly people in Buffalo are, how supportive we are of one another.

Host: And Bills Mafia, we don't just jump through tables. We're funding this whole wing.

Andrew Bennett: Hundred percent, and it really put a great spotlight on Kaleida and Oishei and the great care that's provided there. And it did it on an international scale. You know, after that first kind of wave in 2020, we had had gifts from all 50 states in nine different countries. So, it opened a lot of doors for us to meet new people, to meet new folks that wanted to support kids and families. And, you know, since then, it has significantly grown. And it's helped that one of the driving forces behind it who happens to play quarterback is a really good guy and has a great family. And, you know, their love for their grandma is pretty obvious. And, you know, the story goes, Grandma Pat was really the reason the Allen family is involved in the community and wants to give back. And it's just a very unique moment in time that lives on.

Host: Yeah. And we're going to get to more on Josh in just a moment, but let's talk about PAF and where that funding goes to. We say critical care sort of as an umbrella, but that could be oncology patients, it could be ECMO, which is the highest form of life support. We were able to purchase another ECMO machine, and I talked to a mom recently, one of our Champion Kids. His life was saved thanks to that ECMO machine. And the mom very bluntly said, "If not for all of those $17 donations, my son would not be here."

Andrew Bennett: Absolutely.

Host: Which is incredible to think, you know, because I think sometimes people think, "Well, I don't have $10,000. I certainly don't have a million dollars that I can give." But if you can be a part of that wave of a few dollars here, a few dollars there, it all adds up and can grow to really incredible proportions.

Andrew Bennett: Yeah. That first few months, 40,000 people times $17, it ended up quick.

Host: I'm not great at math, but I know that's a lot of zeros.

Andrew Bennett: It is a lot of zeros. So, yeah, when we established the fund, it made a lot of sense with those that Josh had already interacted with and met on our surgery team and our trauma team. And, you know, critical care is a huge component of really the core of the hospital. So, you know, you think if you have a child and, you know, you might have sniffles or a cut or a bruise or, you know, just sort of everyday things that, you know, certainly both of my kids have had. And then, you think of the things that really couldn't be fixed, addressed, or treated without the critical care nature of a hospital. So yes, Oncology, our Critical Care Unit on the 12th floor, our Trauma Program, our transport team, our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for the littlest, littlest people, up to our PICU or Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, all so many of the surgical subspecialties, really kind of falls under that. So, it's flexible in a way that it can help address multiple needs. But it really is concentrated on that sort of critical nature of the hospital.

Host: And I think it's nice for people to know because, again, I jumped on the bandwagon, you know, in the best of ways by donating the $17. But now, having worked with these families and learning more about it and being a part of it, it's nice to know where your money goes, right? And to be able to know that you're a part of that direct impact makes people feel good.

Andrew Bennett: It does. Yeah, it does. Your story about the ECMO machine, about Caleb and countless others, we really tried to articulate and share back to Bills Mafia, how important it is. And that money comes in, it goes out, doesn't get reinvested, and--

Host: And look what you did.

Andrew Bennett: They continue to respond and do more. So, it's a great relationship.

Host: All right. Let's talk about our friend Josh Allen. An incredible relationship. You touched a little bit on that and how the PAF, Patricia Allen Fund started, but just seeing him walk the halls and interacting with the patients, interacting with the Champion Kids, as if you couldn't love him anymore. I think, for me at least, with celebrities, you know, you have this vision in your mind of who they are and what they're like. And there have been times where I've met people that you put them on a pedestal and maybe they're just not the person you thought they were going to be. Maybe that's them. Maybe it was just a moment in time. When I tell you Josh is as awesome with these kids and in the hospital and just as genuine, I mean, he's the real deal.

Andrew Bennett: Yeah. I mean, he comes from terrific roots. They're a very genuine, down-to-earth family, and I think he's a great reflection of that. I think part of why he was such a good fit for Buffalo. A very blue collar kind of guy who, you know, what you see is what you get.

Host: And humble too.

Andrew Bennett: Super humble, super hard worker, very relatable with the kids. You know, to them, he's their superhero. To us, he's, you know, one heck of a quarterback, a pretty unique athlete. And in some ways, we all hope the savior of the Buffalo team, the Buffalo Bills, right?

Host: Exactly.

Andrew Bennett: Any of us that were born and raised here. But yeah, it has evolved into, "I just want to come see the kids," and not all the fanfare that fortunately and unfortunately follows him wherever he goes.

Host: Exactly. I know that everybody always wants to get a glimpse, you know, wants to say hi, maybe snap a photo, but he's so in the zone and so focused on the kids. And he's kind to the people that he interacts with.

Andrew Bennett: Super gracious. Super gracious.

Host: But when he is at Oishei, he is on a mission to talk with those kids and, you know, spend time with them. And the amount of pictures that, for some of these kids, this is the darkest time in their life and for the families as well. And when you have a knock at the door and Josh Allen comes walking in, for some, that's a turning point in their treatment because that's something that no prescription could ever-- you know, you can't write a prescription for that. One Josh Allen, please.

Andrew Bennett: And insurance is also does not cover him.

Host: Oh, yes. That would be a very hefty bill. his interaction though with the kids, I think of Bella, one of our Champion Kids. And every time she--

Andrew Bennett: Adorable.

Host: Adorable. Now when she sees him, their besties and she just runs right up to him. "Hi, Josh Allen." You know, she calls him Josh Allen. "Can I have a hug?" And he's probably given away more hugs. But it just shows how real he is and how much he cares. 

Andrew Bennett: He's done a camp with some of our partners and different initiatives we've had. And yeah, he really, he gets it. You know, when we first started with him, he was only a couple years away from actually would've been treated at the hospital from an age standpoint. So in many ways, he is like a big kid, and I think his teammates and all the stories we hear, he is just a very fun, easygoing kind of guy that just so happens to be a world-class athlete.

Host: Yeah. Well, you've been to training camp. This past summer, I was with a bunch of Champion Kids at training camp and, you know, afterwards all of the players will come by and sign autographs and take pictures. And so Josh, everybody wants to talk to Josh and wants a piece of him afterwards. And, you know, he's signing autographs, signing autographs. And I just said, "Josh, Oishei kids." And when I tell you the blinders went on and he just zoned in on a group of eight or 10 kids that we had there, and people were trying to, you know, hand him jerseys and get pictures. And he was just so focused. And it was an awesome moment.

And then, you know, he spent some time, "You guys want pictures? Do you want more pictures?" He signed everything and then he moved on to everybody else. But that was a special moment. And the kids just thought that they were the coolest because, you know, they got fist bumps, and they're on a first-name basis. You know, not many kids get to be on a first-name basis with Josh.

Let's talk about 117 Holes. First of all, have your feet and your calves recovered? I know it's been a little while, but...

Andrew Bennett: They have. They have. It was every bit as challenging as I anticipated, but it was well worth it and a challenge, but it was a very cool experience.

Host: Yeah. And for folks that don't know, golfers play 117 holes, how many rounds?

Andrew Bennett: Six and a half rounds.

Host: Six and a half rounds. Again, not great at math, but it is from, what, 4:30 in the morning until almost 9:00 at night. And Josh, Josh was there. He also got to golf...

Andrew Bennett: With Jake.

Host: Yeah. Yeah. With Jake. And talk about an incredible moment. Yeah, I was on the golf course with Josh Allen for a little while and he spent quality time again with one of our Champion Kids, which was super cool. Are you going to play this year?

Andrew Bennett: That is TBD.

Host: Okay.  

Andrew Bennett: If the team will let me play, I will certainly give it consideration. But it was certainly a personal challenge, you know, that the event has really morphed into something that we started it in 2020 to do something outside at a safe distance. And this will be the sixth iteration of it. And last year, we raised close creeping up at $800,000. So, you know, we have a million in our sites and hopefully we can recruit some more folks to come in and it's a unique day. The golf course donates everything to us, and it's a very efficient fundraising event and activity. And it's a great way to bring people in, fans of the hospital to, you know, support and be a part of a special day.

Host: It's a fun day. Well, it's fun for me because I'm on the golf cart and I get to drive around. How many miles did you walk?

Andrew Bennett: About 36.

Host: Okay. Just a casual 36 miles. Yeah. That's why I asked if your calves had recovered.

Andrew Bennett: It was my shins.

Host: The shins. Okay.

Andrew Bennett: My shins were in bad shape. I was much better than others.

Host: Yeah, for sure. And board members took part in that. And what comes to mind when I think about the board members, again, walking alongside for those 36 miles, they really practice what they preach. They don't just sit on the board, show up at a meeting. They're in the events. They are donating, they are fundraising, they're screaming it from the rooftops. Talking about all of the great things that we do.

Andrew Bennett: Yeah. It's really a board-driven event, which is cool. It's really cool to see them in action and asking their friends and their family and their colleagues and their networks to support. And then, they go out and they suffer through it like everybody else.

Host: With everybody else. But it's for the kids.

Andrew Bennett: It's for the kids.

Host: It's for the kids. Speaking of golf, that was sort of your past life, right?

Andrew Bennett: It was.

Host: Talk a little bit about what you did way back when before the foundation.

Andrew Bennett: Yeah. So, I graduated from University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, and I was fortunate to see a national championship in 2004, 2005, and sort of organically started working in the golf business and, you know, had been playing the game for a very long time, enjoyed being around it, enjoyed the comradery and the sort of the peer-to-peer aspect of getting to know people and building connections, and was very fortunate to kind of be in the right place at the right time.

And I started to work from a teaching perspective and that carried me up and down the east coast for about five years. And it was a little bit challenging to kind of establish roots, moving around so much, but incredibly valuable experience. Got to meet people that we would now consider a big donor, or a strong relationship at a national level and, you know, in just invaluable experiences and lessons learned and successes and failures.

Host: Talk about our team and the office. Just sort of your leadership style and what you hope the foundations-- you know, what you want them to be both now and in the future from a people perspective. Because I feel like you craft, you know, you want to bring in the right people, but it's about not only what people can do, but who you are and who we are.

Heather Lee (Host): Yeah. Well, I mean, it is kind of overstated sometimes, but I think your culture is everything, whether it's a pro sports team, a Fortune 500 company, or our team at the foundations. And we've built slow and steady. And slow and steady wins the race, as they say. So, we started identifying-- there were just some significant areas that we needed to recruit people and put them in in those places.

Now, having come from nonprofit and running a foundation prior to this, albeit a smaller foundation, there were some basic functions that we needed to do. We need seats on the bus filled. And from that, we were able to start tackling some challenges and some obstacles and having some small wins. And then, that allowed us to kind of take the next step. And, you know, in each of those instances and those hires, it was really focused on how do we take the next step in our collective growth. And I'm a big "We" person. I do not like saying me or I or--

Host: "You do that while I sit back and watch."

Andrew Bennett: Yeah. No, I mean, roll up your sleeves, get your hands dirty. You know, don't ask someone to do something you wouldn't do. I grew up around that. I've observed it in many different levels. You know, even back to the golf days, I could give a multimillionaire a golf lesson or I could go wash a golf cart, and it could all happen in the same day. So, you know, really kind of cutting your teeth in that way helped me, you know, learn the value of you've got to do the dirty work to enjoy the fruits of that labor.

And, you know, I think we have a team of people that will adhere to that and do that without actually being asked or told. It's just those are the types of people we've brought in. They're good people, they're hard workers. They care immensely about the work and about where the dollars go. And you look at our industry and our space, I can't think of a space that would be more gratifying and rewarding than doing what we do and connecting those who have the ability to make a difference to us, and then ultimately back to seeing the life of a patient get better or that of a team member at Kaleida enhancing their ability to do their job.

Host: When you hear the stories of the patients, you know, when you hear of the successes, or quite frankly, when you take a look at the numbers at the end of the year and see how much money the team has been able to bring in to better people's lives, what goes through your head and heart knowing that you and your team, we're a huge part of that.

Andrew Bennett: Well, I think first and foremost is how fortunate we are to work with the people we work with. The administration, the providers have made it easier than it could be, I will say, to do this work. Accessible, forward thinking, very humble, and just great to be around, and always willing to help. We can't possibly be successful without that. That is number one.

Host: It really is a circle. It's not, us over here and them over there, we're trying to connect it--

Andrew Bennett: Very much, very much integrated. You have you providers, your administrators, our board, our team, and they all need to be synced in lockstep for this to be successful. So when I think of how we've been able to elevate and do more, it's all those ingredients in the pot to make that happen.

Host: All right. Where do we go in the future, aside from, you know, more zeros? We like more zeros. Because that means, again, more equipment, better outcomes, all of those things. But what is your vision for the foundations in the next couple of years?

Andrew Bennett: Yeah. I think we're at a point now as an organization as a whole, not just the foundations, to really start thinking about what does healthcare look like in the future, because it is ever changing. I think looking at what does the community need from us to be better and not what are we telling the community we're going to do to make them better? There needs to be a very good, clear symbiotic relationship with the needs of the community and what the community needs from the organization, and then where do we play a role in that? We can't do it all, but we can certainly help. We can move things along in our own way and there's a heck of a team behind it.

So, I'm excited to see where this goes both from a fundraising standpoint and ultimately what is the best impact that could be made on the health and wellbeing of Western New Yorkers and beyond.

Host: I'm happy to be a part of it, a small part of it.

Andrew Bennett: Absolutely.

Host: All right. Andrew Bennett, Chief Development Officer for the Foundations of Kaleida Health, our Children's Hospital of Buffalo Foundation, and the Kaleida Health Foundation. That wasn't so bad, right?

Andrew Bennett: No, that's great. That was great.