Neumann receives $1M gift to support health programs
ASTON » Mark and Ann Baiada, founders of Bayada Home Health Care, have given $1 million to Neumann University. The donation will be used to support facilities for nursing and health sciences programs, fund scholarships, and implement the launch of a new campus master plan.
“We have always supported Catholic education,” says Ann Baiada, “and Mark and I embrace the Franciscan values that Neumann University instills in its students. Because of our life’s work in health care, we have always been advocates for nurses, too, and Neumann has an outstanding nursing program.”
The campus master plan, the focus of the largest portion of the Baiada gift, looks ahead to an expanded campus footprint in 2035. Adding space for 60-100 resident students, renovating the university’s main academic building, and building a standalone student center are the first priorities, set for completion by 2025. Later projects include the creation of a new main entrance to campus, the expansion of event space and conference facilities, and building town homes for students.
The Baiadas have been friends of Neumann since 2006, giving to the Scholarship Gala and fundraising events to support the arts on campus. They have also been the primary donors to initiate the financing of many facilities on campus, including the Bayada Atrium in the Mirenda Center and the Bayada Teaching Auditorium in the Health Sciences Center. The current gift brings their total philanthropic support for Neumann to $3.6 million.
The couple have also supported the university in other ways. Ann served on the Board of Trustees from 2007 to 2020, including a term as board chairperson from 20182020. Mark is a key member of the President’s Advisory Board and has delivered the keynote address at Neumann’s Academic Awards Convocation. Together, they have endowed a scholarship for deserving nursing students and established an annual home health care lecture.
“Mark and Ann Baiada are true philanthropists with a long and impressive history of helping others,” says Dr. Chris Domes, Neumann University president. “They embody the Franciscan values upon which the university was founded, and we are blessed by their generosity, kindness and leadership. Their extraordinary gift will provide immediate support for deserving undergraduates and ignite a campus expansion so that we can serve even more students in the coming decades.”
The university’s strong nursing and health sciences programs helped attract the Baiadas to Neumann. In 1975, Mark invested his life savings and founded Bayada Home Health Care, an international, nonprofit home health care provider, which is headquartered in Moorestown, N.J. The company is based on a belief that people deserve a safe home life with comfort, independence, and dignity.
Today, Bayada employs more than 28,000 people who provide a full range of clinical care and support services at home for children and adults of all ages. The company has a presence in 23 states and six countries.
Ann has a personal connection to the nursing profession. She grew up in the Germantown section of Philadelphia where her mother worked as nurse. Inspired by her family role model, Ann graduated from Abington Memorial Hospital’s School of Nursing and worked actively as a nurse for 48 years.
The Baiadas have five children and 11 grandchildren. The children, four sisters and one brother, are involved with the business. The family’s motto appears on a wall of every family member’s home: “Think big. Work hard. Show love.”
Zabel announces grants for Aldan, Haverford
State Rep. Mike Zabel, D-163 of Upper Darby, announced a pair of grants totaling more than $1.15 million have been approved for local municipalities through the state’s Multimodal Transportation Fund.
The grants announced include s $1 million grant for Haverford Township to help fund the realignment of the intersection of Burmont and Glendale Rds., near Darby Creek and Darby Creek Valley Park. The project will include the improvement of pedestrian crossing at the intersection as well as the extension of the pedestrian Darby Creek Trail by more than 1,000 feet.
A $154,791 was also approved for Aldan Borough to replace 250 existing street light fixtures with LED fixtures and replace 13 deteriorated light poles with new metal poles.
The approved projects were two of 43 announced throughout the state Friday to address improvements in highway, bridge, rail, pedestrian trails and bike trails.
PennDOT evaluated the applications and made selections based on criteria such as safety benefits, regional economic conditions, the technical and financial feasibility, job creation, energy efficiency and operational sustainability.
Sun East Foundation celebrates 10 Years of community impact
The Sun East Foundation, Sun East Federal Credit Union’s community outreach and charitable-giving, celebrates ten years of community impact. The foundation was created in 2011 to serve the health, education, and well-being of those in the Greater Brandywine Valley Area. The foundation provides funds to registered 501(c)(3) organizations whose primary focus is on schools, charitable and community organizations that support cultural, natural, and historic preservation, and other humanitarian efforts. The foundation’s many years of generous giving helped to impact over 130 organizations in the Greater Brandywine Valley by providing donations totaling over $280,000.
To commemorate the tenth anniversary and in addition to regular giving, the Sun East Foundation is recognizing and celebrating the many organizational partnerships formed over the last ten years. The foundation is celebrating by hosting a monthly drawing totaling $10,000 in 2021. Each month the foundation executive director, Terri Lannon, will host the drawing on Facebook Live, where one lucky organization will be awarded $1,000. The Community’s Foundation was the first $1,000 winner in March.
The community is invited to join the Sun East Foundation for their next drawing on Tuesday, April 20, at 3 p.m. on Facebook Live @suneastfoundation.
Torpey White, the board chairman, reflects on the foundation’s history and comments, “When the Sun East Foundation was formed, we did not foresee much beyond the next 12 months. Now we are celebrating our 10th anniversary and have accomplished so much. We will probably never know the number of lives we touched, the impact we made and the contributions to communities felt but we do know we somehow made a difference.”
Sun East Federal Credit Union, founded in 1949, is a full-service, not-for-profit financial institution serving the savings, borrowing, investing, and virtual banking needs of nearly 52,000 members, over 1,200 employers, and multiple other organizations in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey. Sun East has over $768 million in assets with branches throughout the Tri-State area, nationwide ATM access, as well as online and mobile banking. Support of local charitable and community outreach initiatives on behalf of Sun East is facilitated through the Sun East Foundation. To join, volunteer, or donate to the Sun East Foundation, visit www.suneastfoundation.org. For more information or join Sun East Federal Credit Union, visit www.suneast.org.