Healing Gifts Spring 2014 - Better Together | Page 2
Partners in caring
“Nancy has a compassionate heart, and she’s always had
a global perspective,” Andy says.
They have also opened their home for some of the
many fundraising concerts they’ve organized: Andy
assembles a group of jazz musicians including himself,
while Nancy serves as conductor and event manager.
Both accomplished instrumentalists—Andy composes
jazz for the church and plays the saxophone and Nancy
plays the oboe and piano—the couple met when they
each were part of the music ministry at Grace Lutheran
Church in River Forest. Their shared passion for music
has strengthened not only the bond between them,
but also the Church Jazz Ministry of St. Luke Lutheran
Church in Chicago, among other churches and not-forprofit organizations.
One of those organizations is the Heart and Vascular
Institute at Christ Medical Center, which was the
beneficiary of a combination house concert–presentation
on advances in cardiac surgery they hosted. Andy and
Nancy have had many connections to Advocate Health
Care many times over the years. Among other things,
Andy provides legal counsel to the system—but they
had no personal experience of Advocate’s hospitals in
Oak Lawn until Vijay Singh recruited Andy to serve in a
volunteer leadership role there.
“Andy is the kind of person who gets his energy from
touching other people and helping them achieve their
potential,” says Vijay, a business associate of Andy’s who
has served as chair of the medical center’s Development
Council. “It is not work for him—he has a passion for it.”
That desire to enable others to achieve their potential also
inspired Andy and Nancy to make a generous charitable
donation to help start a pediatric autism program at
Advocate Children’s Hospital—Oak Lawn.
Rooted in faith
Underneath their countless hours of service, their
charitable giving and their enthusiastic championing of
causes within their extensive social and professional circles
lies a firm foundation of Christian faith. That faith draws
them to Advocate Health Care’s mission, which is rooted in
a fundamental understanding of human beings as created
in the image of God and deserving of dignity and respect.
“Advocate’s spiritual and emotional dimension is huge,”
Just as Andy Tecson and Nancy Hagen can do
more together than they can on their own, each of
Advocate’s hospitals is strengthened by groups of
volunteers who combine forces and resources to
help ensure quality health care close to home:
• Development Council members serve as
ambassadors in their communities, sharing
stories of the impact their local hospitals have
and inviting other residents, caregivers and
business leaders to join them in supporting
Advocate’s health care mission.
• Special event committees plan galas, golf
outings and o ther gatherings that raise funds
for programs identified as priorities by hospital
leadership. Events are also a great way to
introduce hospitals to prospective supporters.
• Auxiliaries and similar service organizations
raise funds through sales and other activities,
and then donate the proceeds to support
hospital programs they designate.
“Miracles happen in our hospitals every day, and
we get to see the tangible results of our efforts,”
says Terry Graber, who chairs Advocate Charitable
Foundation’s Board of Directors. “What could be
more rewarding than knowing you are making a
difference in people’s lives?”
For more information about fundraising
volunteer opportunities at Advocate, please
contact Jennifer Cosby-Thanos at 630.929.6915
or [email protected].
says Nancy, who wishes that her family had received
that kind of support when her father passed away from
multiple myeloma.
Andy agrees. “The concept that God has power to be
a healing force in the world really resonates with us,” he
says. “It goes beyond the miracle of modern medicine to
become something truly transcendent.”
The faith that sustains their commitment to Advocate
also explains their joyful spirits. “Andy and Nancy bring
a quality of compassion, love and humanity that inspires
and transforms others,” Vijay Singh says. “They’re a
wonderful team.” ■
Spring 2014 – healing gifts – 11