E.W. and Mary Firstenburg Donate $15 million to Southwest Patient Tower Project
—Gift is the largest philanthropic pledge by a living donor for any Clark County cause
E. W. and Mary Firstenburg, founders of First Independent Bank, have announced plans to donate a record $15 million to Southwest Washington Medical Center (Southwest). The pledge is considered to be the cornerstone gift in a larger philanthropic campaign to support long-term infrastructure and technology enhancements at the community-governed Medical Center. The Firstenburg gift may be used for construction and to purchase essential medical equipment for Southwest’s Patient Tower expansion project, on target for completion in December 2006.
E. W. and Mary Firstenburg
“We’re thrilled to be making a little history today, by accepting this generous gift from the Firstenburg family,” said Joseph Kortum, Southwest President and CEO. “The Firstenburgs and First Independent Bank - like our founder Mother Joseph - had humble beginnings yet turned the ordinary into the extraordinary. Our community is the recipient of their dedication, generosity and vision for a better future.”
“In the end, we realized that there’s no higher calling or better place to invest our philanthropy because of the mission of the Medical Center and its enduring impact on the health of our community,” said E. W. Firstenburg, Chairman, First Independent Bank.
The Firstenburg gift is considered to be the largest donation by a living donor to any cause in Clark County and the largest donation aimed at enhancing major health care infrastructure. In honor of the generous contribution by E. W. and Mary Firstenburg, Southwest’s Patient Tower project will now be known as the Firstenburg Patient Tower.
The Firstenburg Patient Tower at Southwest represents the latest and greatest in health care advancements coupled with the most modern conveniences and comforting environments for patients and their families. The 307,000 sq. ft. Tower will feature space for 154 private patient rooms with bedside accommodations for family members. A cornerstone of the project will be a dedicated new Heart and Vascular Center. It offers five new cardiac catheterization labs and two open heart surgery suites. In addition, a new surgery floor will feature 13 new state-of-the art operating rooms. The Tower also features underground parking, a dramatic glass-enclosed lobby area with informational kiosks, café, health resource center and more.
The Firstenburgs and First Independent Bank have a history of philanthropy in the community. The Firstenburg Community Center was named in recognition of a $3 million donation from First Independent Bank founders E. W. and Mary Firstenburg. It will be an 80,000 sq. ft. facility offering an activity pool, gymnasium, walk/jog track, community room, meeting rooms, teen and senior lounges, game room, as well as fitness and aerobics/dance space. It is scheduled to open in the fall of 2005.
A former Ridgefield High School teacher, E. W. Firstenburg, also contributed $150,000 in 2004 to complete phase two of a project to expand and upgrade athletic fields at Ridgefield High School. The community athletic complex includes two full-sized soccer fields, and one practice football field, which is also used for track and field events.
First Independent Bank, the largest community bank in Southwest Washington, was founded in 1910 and the Firstenburg family has owned and operated the bank since 1936. Since then E. W. Firstenburg, present chairman of the Board for First Independent Bank, has been a name and a force in banking in Southwest Washington. Today First Independent Bank has 25 offices located in Vancouver, Washington, Portland, Oregon, and Bellevue, Washington.
