A Birthday Fundraiser Higlights Peer-to-Peer Support

Dorothy Dahm wanted to raise money for a cause she believed in for her 45th birthday. For her, choosing a nonprofit for her fundraiser was an easy—and very personal—choice.

“Ten years ago, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer,” she told us. “At the time, I had a temporary position without benefits at a university. Because I lived in Vermont, I had Medicaid, so I was able to receive treatment. That experience made health care access very personal for me: I felt grateful to have had high-quality health care when I needed it most, and it corroborated my belief that health care is a human right.”

And after caring for my dad during his time in at-home hospice, I started nursing school in August. Raising money for HEI seemed the perfect way to celebrate my forty-fifth birthday, this career change, and the opportunities I have had.”

Dorothy has been a member of the HEI community ever since she read an article about our work in the Boston Globe nearly 13 years ago. She says that while there are a lot of organizations doing great work in countries like Haiti, she says it’s sometimes hard for donors to know if—and how—their dollars are helping.

She believes HEI is different. She says, “[HEI] has a specific mission: it operates a first-class hospital in Southern Haiti, ensuring that some of the Western Hemisphere’s poorest people can access lifesaving acute and primary care. When you give to HEI, you know you’re changing someone’s life for the better.”

To create her fundraiser, Dorothy reached out to us about making a special donation page she could share with her friends. To help us customize it, she provided a photo and a personal statement about why she was holding a fundraiser and why she hoped her friends and loved ones might contribute to it.

Dorothy then posted a link to her fundraising page on Facebook and emailed it to her family, friends, and colleagues. “Thus far, the response has been warm and very moving,” she says. 

When asked what she would tell someone interested in starting their own Peer-to-Peer fundraiser for HEI, Dorothy enthusiastically said, “Do it! It is an easy way to raise money for HEI and to raise awareness about the organization.”

We are very grateful for Dorothy’s longtime support and for choosing us for her fundraiser. On behalf of all our staff and patients, we’d like to wish Dorothy a very happy 45th birthday!

If you’re interested in holding your own fundraiser like Dorothy, check out our Peer-to-Peer page for how-to-guides, templates, and other resources we made to make the process as simple as possible for you.