Lu Sachs: A Decade of Service to Newborns
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| Lu Sachs was deeply committed to the babies she volunteered to rock and soothe each week at Cincinnati Children's. After her death, Lu's family honored her memory with a gift to purchase a Giraffe bed (pictured above) for critically ill newborns. |
Everyone who knew Betty Lou Sachs (Lu) knew Wednesday mornings were off limits – no bridge club, golf or anything else. Lu already had plans: She would be busy rocking babies.
For 10 years, Lu volunteered in the Regional Center for Newborn Intensive Care (RCNIC) at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, the place where the region's most fragile and critically ill newborns receive the most advanced level of care available. Every week Lu arrived in her neatly pressed volunteer smock to hold, rock and talk softly to the babies.
"For years we couldn't get Mom to take a vacation for longer than one week," says her daughter Deanne. "She insisted on being back in the RCNIC to rock her babies."
Lu passed away in April 2006, but not before devoting more than 880 hours in the RCNIC. She is survived by Bill, her husband of 53
years, their daughters Susan and Deanne, and four grandchildren. "Mom got a tremendous amount of joy from helping the babies," Susan recalls. "We wanted to honor her memory by giving back to Cincinnati Children's – just like Mom did for so many years."
The family decided a Giraffe OmniBed", the recognized gold standard for the care of critically ill newborns, was the perfect gift.
"Lu was familiar with the beds. She knew how much they enhanced the quality of care for the babies," Bill says. "It was a logical
choice – a connection to what she did and a way to create an ongoing legacy in her honor."
Bill was able to give the family's generous $34,000 gift through a charitable IRA rollover. Due to the current law, he was able to give his required minimum distribution to Cincinnati Children's, a not-for-profit organization. By doing so, he continued Lu's legacy of caring, and at the same time, he benefited from the IRA provision.
"It's a great way to give back," says Bill. "It's a win-win for our family and for the babies Lu loved so much."
Lu's presence will forever be missed, but the babies in the RCNIC continue to feel her love and warmth through her family's philanthropy.
