A Christmas Miracle

As Christmas neared, a patient at Memorial Neighborhood Health Center – Central Clinic would be overwhelmed by the generosity of the clinic’s staff. The middle-aged woman had recently been laid off from her job and had no means to support her two daughters, let alone buy them Christmas gifts. But a small Christmas miracle changed all that during an appointment at Memorial Neighborhood Health Center – Central Clinic.

After the woman informed Beverly Lockhart, MA/Resource Rep., about her job loss and financial struggles affecting her family, it didn’t take long for Team Members to generously respond, including Beverly, Elaine Karaszewski, practice manager at Beacon Medical Group Central Neighborhood Health Center, Alisha Mack, FNP, Mary Hope Griffin, M.D., and Sommer Griffin, office coordinator. The staff took up a collection and bought the woman $150 in big-box store gift certificates. They contacted the woman at home that same day and told her to come back to Central Clinic where to her astonishment she was given the gift certificates. The woman cried and thanked the Central Clinic staff.

The kindness didn’t end there. The next day on Dec. 23, two days before Christmas, Central Clinic Team Members again collected funds––this time to buy the woman and her two children a Christmas tree, decorations and a grocery store gift certificate. When Beverly drove to the woman’s home to drop off the items, she again cried and expressed her immense gratitude to a group of individuals who seized the opportunity to do the right thing.

“Helping those in need is why we do what we do in working at the Central Clinic,” says Elaine. “How our staff responded to this family in need represents the true meaning of Christmas.”