By Neal Simon

Hornell Evening Tribune



In March, Bethesda Foundation officials stopped by Alfred State College to hand over $15,000 for nursing scholarships for Hornell-area students, a donation the foundation has repeated each year.

In May, the scene shifted to the Hornell Fire Department, where the non-profit foundation dropped off $18,000 to buy a new ventilator for the department's advanced life support team.

Those 2021 grants represent just a small percentage of the more than $2.75 million that the Bethesda Foundation has contributed since 1987 to healthcare-related groups and causes within the geographic area served by the original Bethesda Hospital in Hornell.

For the last several years, Janice Spence was the face of the Bethesda Foundation and the bearer of the checks during donation presentations at St. James Hospital, local fire departments and other settings. Spence, the foundation's executive director since 2016, remained an active and passionate leader until her death May 27 following a lengthy battle with cancer.

"Janice was so knowledgeable in the details of rural healthcare," said Lynn Blades, Bethesda Foundation chairperson. "She had extensive experience in healthcare through her long association with the University of Rochester Medical Center. We valued her counsel, and her contributions to the quality of healthcare in the Bethesda

Lynn Blades, at right, president of The Bethesda Foundation, joins Rob Price, the Foundation's newly appointed executive director, at the Foundation office in North Hornell.

"Organizations like the Bethesda Foundation are crucial to supporting the quality of life in a rural area such as ours."

- Rob Price,

Executive Director,

The Bethesda Foundation

community will have a lasting impact."

Earlier this month, the Foundation announced the appointment of Rob Price as the organization's new executive director.

And the Bethesda Foundation was a major financial backer of the new University of Rochester St. James Hospital, committing $250,000 to the development of the facility that opened in March 2020.

“Years ago, when I started working at The Tribune, it didn’t take me long to recognize the important role the Bethesda Foundation plays in supporting area healthcare services," Price said.

Price, a Hornell resident, is a former reporter and columnist for the Hornell Evening Tribune. He has worked in the regional news media for more than 25

years and is currently a member of Alfred University’s Office of Marketing and Communications.

“We’re delighted to have Rob join us,” Blades said. “He brings a wealth of experience in media relations to the Bethesda Foundation, and as a resident of Hornell he has a solid knowledge of the region that the Bethesda Foundation serves.”

Price acknowledged the difficulty of succeeding his predecessors, including Spence.

“It’s impossible to replace people like Janice Spence,” Price said. “She and the Foundation’s other past directors have left a legacy to sustain and follow. I’ll have my hands full.”

Including the nursing scholarships, the Bethesda Foundation has granted more than $230,000 to the Alfred State nursing program since 2009, with funding also supporting medical training equipment for students.

Whether it's a $5,000 donation to the Red Cross to support the Hornell Food Pantry or a $5,000 grant to Mercy Flight Central for night vision goggles, Price said he has a longstanding appreciation for the foundation's mission and is committed to helping it continue.



"Organizations like the Bethesda Foundation are crucial to supporting the quality of life in a rural area such as ours," he said.