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Joseph Beaudoin grew up in North Kingstown and began working at the age of six, milking cows for twenty-five cents an hour. By age 16, he had saved enough money to buy the farm on which he worked!
Throughout his life, South County Hospital has been a community stronghold for Joseph and his family. “My mother was born there. I was born there. I’ve had multiple surgeries there. It’s the only hospital I’ve ever gone to,” Joseph recalled. It has been there when he needed help. And now, he plans to return that favor.
A few years ago, Joseph began feeling ill. He and his wife, Barbara, turned to his primary care physician at South County Health. After a battery of tests, he was referred to medical oncologist, Dr. Gerald Colvin. When the diagnosis included leukemia, the couple’s visits to South County Hospital became more frequent. Their affinity for the physicians and resources of the Cancer Center became even stronger. Joseph said, “Dr. Colvin has kept me alive.” And he adds, “I like that my doctors are all there – on the first, second or third floor.”
The Beaudoins appreciate the support they receive from the medical and support staff. Throughout treatment, the Beaudoins arrived at appointments at the Cancer Center with chocolates, Easter baskets and valentine gifts for the nurses. Barbara knitted hats for babies in the Women and Newborn Care Unit. “We do what we can,” Joseph said. But the Beaudoins wanted to do more. They thought about how they could make a difference in the future of South County residents who one day may need the services of the Cancer Center. While the Hospital has grown in size and services over the years, the Beaudoins find that the sense of community has remained. They wanted to support a place like that.
In November 2016, impressed with the care Joseph received, as well as the improvements made to the Cancer Center, the couple informed Dr. Colvin that they had decided to include the South County Health Cancer Center in their will.
Over the next few months, the Beaudoins and Dr. Colvin met with attorneys and the Beaudoins’ financial advisors to ensure that the Cancer Center is the beneficiary of the proceeds from the Beaudoins’ estate – their home, its contents, as well as the 2.5 acres of land on which it sits.
After signing the legal documents necessary to carry out his charitable intention, Joseph expressed his sense of relief and contentment. “I feel real good about it. Real good,” he said.
Barbara shared that sense of satisfaction with her husband. “It’s what he wanted. He asked me and I stand by his decision,” she said. “We just like to help people.”
South County Health recognizes the significance of planned giving and the impact it has on sustained improvements to the Hospital and its resources. Those, like the Beaudoins, who include South County Health as a beneficiary are not only an important part of the Hospital’s future, but are honored with membership among a special group of philanthropists called the Flagship Society.
If you would like your legacy to include membership in the Flagship Society for the betterment of South County Hospital, we would be honored to work with you and your financial advisor to help you achieve your philanthropic goals. Contact South County Health’s Vice President of Fund Development, Claudia Swain, at 401 788-1608, or send an e-mail to: DevelopmentOffice@southcountyhealth.org.