We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” - Winston Churchill
The Tampa General Hospital Foundation is grateful for the many friendships we have established with donors and the Tampa Bay community. Each year, individuals, corporations and foundations step forward to help the Foundation raise financial support through a variety of fundraising events, individual contributions and grants. Each gift is appreciated by the patients, families, physicians and staff of Tampa General Hospital.
Pam and Les Muma
Pam and Les Muma have been extraordinary supporters of Tampa General Hospital. In the spring of 1973,
Pam and Les were preparing for the birth of their daughter, Jennifer Leigh, not the unforeseen heartbreak
they were about to experience. When Pam experienced severe abdominal pain, doctors discovered her baby was
growing in her abdomen. Two days later, Jennifer Leigh Muma was born and rushed to the neonatal intensive
care unit at Tampa General Hospital. The baby died just three days later due to underdeveloped lungs. Since
then, Pam and Les Muma have made advancing neonatal care their priority in hopes that no family will
experience such anguish.
The Mumas made a remarkable gift in memory of Jennifer Leigh Muma. Their gift of $6 million will support
research and care for newborns and a partnership between Tampa General Hospital and University of South
Florida Health. With a state match of $5 million and USF’s internal match of $3 million, the gift to the
USF Health and TGH partnership will exceed $14 million. Funding will provide the new Jennifer Leigh Muma
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at TGH, as well as the Lisa Muma Weitz Molecular Laboratory at USF Health.
The gift will also establish the Leslie and Pamela Muma Endowed Chair in Neonatology at USF Health.
“To be fortunate enough to make life better for someone else is special,” says Les, who started his business
career in Florida after graduating from USF and moved to Milwaukee when his company merged to create Fiserv,
Inc. in 1984. He retired as President and CEO of Fiserv, Inc., a Fortune 500 company providing technology
services and systems, in June of 2006. In addition to children’s health, Pam and Les have provided
educational opportunities for countless young people. Annually they fund four scholarships for students
from their hometown of Winter Haven to attend USF. The Pamela and Les Muma Teaching Auditorium is an
important facility for USF’s College of Business. Often their generous contributions were given without
their name attached. “We never believed in giving money with our name involved,” explains Pam. “But at some
point we realized to teach other people to give, people should attach their name to gifts,” adds Les.
Since returning to Tampa to “retire,” they have hardly slowed down. Pam serves on the Board of Directors
for Tampa General Hospital Foundation, Moffitt Cancer Center Foundation and Junior Achievement of West
Central Florida. She is also a founding member of USF Women in Leadership and Philanthropy. Les serves on
the Board of Directors for Florida Health Sciences Center and the USF Foundation. He will co-chair the USF
capital campaign with Frank Morsani and served as an Executive-in-Residence of the USF College of Business.
Together Pam and Les are serving as the Honorary Chairs of the capital campaign for Tampa General’s new
Jennifer Leigh Muma Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and have played a key role in soliciting leadership gifts.
At the kick-off event for TGH’s new NICU, Les explained his philosophy of a life divided into thirds: “The
first third is to learn, the second third is to earn and the last third is to return.” The Tampa Bay
community is indeed fortunate to have extraordinary leaders like Les and Pam Muma, who embody the true
meaning of philanthropy.
Richard A. Wilds
Richard A. Wilds created the “Help A Heart” Fund ten years ago after he had a heart transplant at TGH.
While Rick was recovering, he saw other patients experience problems affording the post-transplant
medications, which are vital to a full recovery. One gentleman who could not afford the $600+ a month
medicine had to remain hospitalized in order for his insurance to provide the medication. Another young
man was a college student who was unable to carry a full academic schedule after his transplant; as a
result, he was dropped from his parents’ insurance coverage. The Help A Heart Fund provided his medication
for three months.
Mr. Wilds has made a generous donation to this fund every year since his transplant. He hopes others will
make additional contributions so that no patient will go without these expensive, but necessary medications.
Rick is delighted that the Help A Heart Fund has helped over 30 heart transplant patients since he
initiated it. He looks forward to celebrating the ten-year anniversary of his heart transplant in the
Spring of 2008.
Jeremy Halpern
Twelve-year-old Jeremy Halpern felt helpless when his neighbors, Joe and Estelle Versaggi were seriously
injured in a twin-engine plane crash in Wimauma last year. The Versaggis were taken to Tampa General’s
Burn Center. Estelle died a week later. But after a month in the hospital, Joe, 63, went back to his Davis
Islands home. Joe was like a grandfather to him, and Jeremy wanted to help his neighbor in some way. But
what could a 12-year-old do?
The idea came to him as he prepared for his 13th birthday and bar mitzvah – a Jewish ceremony marking the
transition from childhood into the adult world. As part of that transition, Jeremy was charged with doing
something of benefit to the community. He decided to raise money for the Burn Center in Estelle’s memory.
Jeremy’s father, Dr. David Halpern, had set up a website within CarePages to keep friends and family updated
about the Versaggis’ progress. Through that venue, Jeremy informed readers about the fund drive. The drive
raised $8,000+ in donations for the TGH Foundation’s Camp Hopetake Fund. The fund is used to support
activities related to Camp Hopetake, a camp for previously burned children sponsored by Tampa General and
Tampa Fire Rescue. Based in Ellenton, the camp provides these children with a carefree week of summer
activities at no charge.
Jeremy has also visited children in the Burn Center and plans to become a volunteer at Camp Hopetake. He
sees the fundraising effort as a fitting tribute to the Versaggis. “Estelle Versaggi loved all children,
and she would be proud of me,” said this young and thoughtful benefactor.
Charles and Barbara Caldwell
After having a stroke in 2004, Charles Caldwell spent three weeks in the TGH Inpatient Comprehensive Rehab
Program. He then completed hisrehab work as an outpatient. Mr. Caldwell was “very satisfied…they did an
excellent job with me and with people in a lot worse shape than me.” Mr. Caldwell then became what hospitals
refer to as a “grateful patient.” He asked the therapists for a wish list of equipment they needed and
presented a generous check that enabled the Rehab Center to purchase all of the equipment on the list!
Since then, he and his wife, Barbara Caldwell, have both been treated by TGH cardiologist Dr. Chokshi, and
Mrs. Caldwell had her knee replaced at Tampa General by Dr. Bernasek. They have continued to express their
gratitude with annual donations to the Rehab Center and recently made an additional gift to the Integrative
Medicine Program at Tampa General. What a wonderful testament this couple has made to the physicians,
therapists and caregivers at TGH by expressing their appreciation with contributions to make our programs
even better.
The Tampa Bay Lightning
In October 2007, the Tampa Bay Lightning hosted its 7th Annual Glitz & Sticks, a celebrity casino evening. At this
fun event, the Lightning players, coaches and broadcasters are the celebrity dealers for casino games. The evening
includes a delicious dinner and silent auction and kicks-off the hockey season each year. The proceeds from Glitz
& Sticks benefit the Tampa General Hospital Foundation and the Lightning Foundation. To cheer up our sick kids,
TGH’s Child Life Playroom has been renovated and decorated with a Lightning motif with the funds provided. Our
next project will use the funds raised by Glitz & Sticks to renovate and update Tampa General’s Pediatric Intensive
Care Unit.
The Tampa Bay Lightning has found other ways to support the TGH Foundation. For a number of years, they have been
the Patron’s Party Sponsor for the Annual Night at the Circus fundraiser. And you can be sure to find representatives
from the Lightning at just about every Foundation fundraiser and the Annual Dinner. In recognition of this support,
the Tampa Bay Lightning was given the James M. “Red” McEwen Award in 2004.
The Tampa Bay Lightning has been a very generous community partner with Tampa General Hospital. Not only do they
give their fans exciting hockey games, they give the sick children of our community advances in medical care through
their support of Tampa General Hospital. Go Bolts!
“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” - Aesop
