Our History

On December 3, 1975 the Weld County General Hospital Foundation was incorporated as a Colorado not for profit organization, and was granted designation as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization by the Internal Revenue Service in October of 1978.

In August of 1974, Wendell Fuller, Weld County General Hospital's associate administrator, was asked by hospital administrator Dick Stenner to organize a volunteer group to look at the potential for forming a philanthropic entity that would allow Weld County residents to support their local hospital. Following approval of the concept by the hospital board and the Weld County Commissioners, the first steering committee meeting was held in August 1975. The Foundation's three original directors were Burnett E. "Bud" Etherton, Edgar F. "Lefty" Bartels, and Patsy Zick. These early leaders never imagined the growth the Foundation would experience, nor could they foresee how the Foundation's role would change over the years to meet the growing needs of the hospital and the community.

During its first quarter-century, Foundation volunteers and staff conducted four major campaigns to provide funding support for vital healthcare programs in our community. With each campaign, our community showed its extraordinary generosity. The first campaign, called Dawn of a New Era, was conducted from 1980-1985. Chaired by Norman Dean, this campaign raised more than $2 million for healthcare services at the hospital. During this campaign, in August 1982, the Weld County General Hospital Foundation changed its name to North Colorado Medical Center Foundation to coincide with the hospital's name change.

The second major campaign, Setting the Course in Healthcare, supported the building of the northwest wing at NCMC, which was completed in 1992. The campaign was led by Richard Boettcher and was conducted between 1990 and 1994. Setting the Course generated $4.3 million in gift support. Of particular note was the very generous gift of $1million from Ken and Myra Monfort for whom the Monfort Family Birth Center at NCMC is named.

The third and fourth major Foundation campaigns were conducted simultaneously. Dr. Richard Kemme chaired the Campaign for the Monfort Children’s Clinic, while Joel and Joyce Rothman chaired the Chaplaincy Campaign. Both campaigns began in 1994 and concluded in 2001; each received remarkable community support. The Children's Clinic Campaign raised more than $6 million to build, furnish, operate and fund an endowment to support the Clinic’s efforts to provide medical care to our community’s children living in poverty. The Clinic is named in recognition of the $1million gift made by the Monfort Family Foundation.

The Chaplaincy Campaign generated more than $1 million to fund an endowment to support that program. The Chaplaincy program was founded in 1995 by the NCMC Foundation and provides comfort to patients and their families through spiritual and emotional support. The program was named the Will Rothman Family Chaplaincy at NCMC in honor of Will and Anne Rothman who provided the campaign’s lead gift.

Through the years, the NCMC Foundation has provided financial support to numerous programs and projects at the North Colorado Medical Center, and to select community programs, all of which enhance the health of the community and its citizens. None of this would be possible without the abiding support of loyal donors who believe in maintaining high-quality healthcare options.