Shop & Save: SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation

When a community collaborates, great things happen. And when the mission is improving health care for our children, St. Louis rallies—big time. For the fifth year, shoppers and merchants will come together to support the annual Glennon Card campaign, the major fundraiser for SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation.

Purchasers of the card are entitled to a 20 percent discount on regularly priced merchandise at 325 participating stores, restaurants and salons from Oct. 23 to Nov. 1; the card costs $50. The entire dollar amount from card sales directly benefits the more than 200,000 children cared for by SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital annually. “It’s a wonderful program that the whole community gets involved in,” says Tricia Davies, who is co-chairing the event with Brigette McMillin.

The fundraiser, organized by both the Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation and the Cardinal Glennon Guild, a 300-member women’s organization, started in 2011. Since then, it has raised nearly $600,000, with last year’s profits totaling $180,000 through a combination of card sales and sponsorships. Each year it grows. “In 2014, we sold 3,200 cards, which was a 34 percent increase from the previous year, largely due to merchants proactively selling cards,” Davies says. This year, there also is a 13 percent increase in participating merchants.

Proceeds raised by the Glennon Card have funded a variety of improvements at the hospital, including telemedicine equipment, treatment programs for children with autism, transport equipment, lifesaving ECMO heart and lung monitoring equipment, and enhanced waiting, atrium and lobby spaces. Funds raised in 2014 went toward the purchase of new advanced procedural and surgical scopes for patients undergoing general surgery, as well as ear, nose and throat procedures, urological interventions, orthopedic surgeries and pulmonary procedures, Davies says.

The 2015 Glennon Card program is sponsored by Drury Hotels, Town&Style, Show Me St. Louis, KSDK News Channel 5, fit-flavors and others. The card is sold online at glennoncard.org until Oct. 18 or at 148 participating merchants from Oct. 10 through Nov. 1. A complete list of merchants is available online or at mobile app mobile.glennoncard.org. Cardholders who register at glennoncard.org by Nov. 2 are eligible for the Register to Win sweepstakes, sponsored this year by Waterway Gas and Wash, which is donating eight Clean Car Club memberships.

The Glennon Card’s widespread success can be attributed, in part, to the way it helps everyone involved: the children’s hospital, card users and participating merchants who offer discounts and get people in their stores just in time for the beginning of holiday shopping. And shoppers can get sweet deals on more than just merchandise. Included in the participant list are 36 restaurants and a variety of spas and salons. The best part: the $50 card price ensures everyone can participate. “It’s a great community builder,” Davies says. “Not everybody can attend an expensive charity event, but nearly everybody can spend $50. People from all walks of life can be a part of this.”

Photo courtesy of Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation

[The 2015 Glennon Card fundraiser runs Oct. 23 through Nov. 1 at more than 325 premier shops, restaurants and salons around town. Proceeds benefit SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. Pictured on the cover: Cardinal Glennon patients Vivien Kozeny and Brett Blankenship at Laurie’s shoes, one of 148 locations where Glennon Cards can be purchased. For more information, visit glennoncard.org. Follow Glennon Card on Twitter @cardinalglennon and on facebook at facebook.com/cardinalglennon.]