Kay Ficks: A Deep Compassion for Sick Children
A lot has changed at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center over the past 60 years. And through it all, Katharine Ficks (Kay) was there.
As a member of the Board of Trustees of Cincinnati Children's for 55 years, Kay had an inside view of the medical center.
"Mother would come home from board meetings excited, talking endlessly about new discoveries at the hospital," says Jerry Ficks, Kay's son. "She was absolutely fascinated at what the doctors could do to save children, especially when she compared it to what happened when she was a child in the 1930s."
Committed to helping foster discoveries, Kay set up a charitable remainder trust in 1987 to support research efforts at Cincinnati Children's. When Kay passed away in January 2007, the endowment was transferred to Cincinnati Children's to establish the Katharine S. and Gerald J. Ficks Neonatal Research Fellowship.
"Kay was very savvy," says William Schubert, MD, former president and CEO of Cincinnati Children's and a close friend of Kay. "It isn't surprising that she funded a fellowship in neonatal medicine as part of her planned giving. She understood the importance of research and education in providing the best patient care."
Kay also understood the importance of a family-friendly atmosphere to help children feel comfortable and secure during their hospital stay. As chairwoman of the board's House Committee, Kay hung curtains in the windows and pictures on the walls to create a homier atmosphere for sick kids and their families.
She was a founding member of the Emery Society, a group that provided financial support to the medical center, and she was president of the former Children's Hospital Thrift Shop, where she spent Saturdays collecting, sorting and selling donated clothes to raise money for Cincinnati Children's.
"My mother never thought about herself. She just wanted to help people, especially the little babies," Jerry says.
With her deep-set compassion for sick children, Kay made a significant impact at the medical center during her lifetime. And by remembering Cincinnati Children's in her estate plan, she will continue to help children for generations to come.
