Our Donors: The First, A National Banking Association, donates $1M to campaign
Published on Wednesday, September 1, 2021
By: Annie Oeth, aoeth@umc.edu
The First, A National Banking Association, is supporting the Kathy and Joe Sanderson Tower at Children’s of Mississippi by donating $1 million to the Campaign for Children’s of Mississippi.
The gift was announced during a news conference June 29 in the community room of the Sanderson Tower.
Announcing a $1 million gift from The First, A National Banking Association, to the Campaign for Children’s of Mississippi are, from left, C. Jerome Brown, executive vice president of The First; M. Ray “Hoppy” Cole, president and CEO of The First; Dr. Mary Taylor, Suzan B. Thames Chair and professor and chair of pediatrics; and Dr. Guy Giesecke, Children’s of Mississippi CEO.
“Our company is thrilled to participate in and be a part of the campaign to grow and strengthen Children’s of Mississippi,” said M. Ray “Hoppy” Cole, president and CEO of The First. “Our company is proud to support Kathy and Joe Sanderson’s vision to further medical research and care specifically for the children of our state.”
Dr. Mary Taylor, Suzan B. Thames Chair and professor and chair of pediatrics, said gifts such as this are critical to advancing pediatric care for the state’s children.
“The Kathy and Joe Sanderson Tower, together with the Blair E. Batson Tower, is a resource for children and families throughout the state,” Taylor said. “We are already seeing the benefits of having this state-of-the-art facility to match the skills of our medical team, and those benefits will only grow as we continue to serve patients in the Kathy and Joe Sanderson Tower.”
The children of this state, Taylor said, “deserve to have the highest level of care close to home.”
Dr. Guy Giesecke, CEO of Children’s of Mississippi, said parents are finding the new Sanderson Tower convenient and family friendly.
“The construction of this tower was made possible because of donations to the Campaign for Children’s of Mississippi,” Giesecke said. “We’re getting closer to the campaign’s $100 million goal, so this gift couldn’t have come at a better time. We extend our heartfelt thanks to The First for this incredible commitment to our state’s children and families.”
Joe Sanderson, Campaign Chairman and CEO of Sanderson Farms, thanked The First for helping the campaign reach more than 88 percent of its goal.
“Providing the care children need close to home is good business,” Sanderson said. “Employers want the children of their workers to get the care they need in Mississippi instead of leaving the state. We are grateful that The First values the health of Mississippi’s children enough to make such a generous investment in the state’s future.”