Wolthoff: Thank you to the Lozano family for making ‘an incredibly impactful endowment’

Good morning. Thank you all for joining us here this morning.

We’re here to announce an incredibly impactful endowment made by an incredibly generous family. Robert and Laurie, you were two of the first people that I met in this role, three years ago when I joined the Driscoll family. And your support has been instrumental along the way, and we felt it on before this hospital was ever built. So we are grateful for your generosity and support. 

This hospital opened its doors just just over six months ago. Since then, we’ve treated thousands of kids, many of whom who would have had to travel for their care prior to May. The very successful stand up of the Rio Grande Valley’s first designated Children’s Hospital is largely due to the tremendously talented and passionate staff that we have assembled, the team that we have assembled. 

We were intentional about hiring the best and the brightest to fit into our Driscoll culture of care. Employee engagement and retention is critical to creating and sustaining that culture of excellence for our team and for the long term success of this mission throughout the Rio Grande Valley.

This $1 million endowment will go directly towards recognizing those top performers that embody the culture of excellence. In short, the Driscoll Way. You’ll hear us talk about the Driscoll Way. Like I said, I’ve been with Driscoll for going on three years, and it is a special culture. It is a culture of dedication to children. And within that culture, we talk about the Driscoll Way.

And again, this gift will go directly towards growing that culture and developing that Driscoll Way within each and every one of our team members. 

It will also support employee professional and personal development, like I said, which will lead to even higher levels of engagement and performance by this team. We recognize that this is just the start. We’re just scratching the surface in terms of caring for the kids here in the Rio Grande Valley.

Today, and over the last several weeks, we’ve been virtually full. We recognize the need, and we’re going to continue to grow our team, grow our services, and continue to raise the bar in terms of quality and care for our kids. And this gift will directly impact our ability to do that. 

We hope the generosity and vision of the Lozano family sets a powerful example, inspiring others to join us in strengthening pediatric healthcare for the Valley. We were built on philanthropy. Driscoll was built on philanthropy. That’s how we continue to care for the children throughout South Texas. And again, this is a tremendous example of that. 

We are deeply grateful to the Lozano family, F&B Brands and the Children’s Miracle Network that they have participated in for so many years. For their continual support and this everlasting gesture of kindness and faith,  thank you so much to you and your family. And Together We Heal.

Editor’s Note: The above commentary was provided by Matt Wolthoff, president of Driscoll Children’s Hospital-Rio Grande Valley, at a recent press conference held to announce a $1 million donation from the Robert & Laurie Lozano Family “Life Currency” Endowment.

Bill Larsen

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Editor’s Note: Bill Larsen, vice president for human resources at Driscoll Children’s Hospital, also spoke at the press conference. Here are his remarks:

Good morning, everybody. My name is Bill Larsen. I’m the vice president of human resources here at Driscoll Children’s Hospital. 

Mr and Mrs. Lozano, thank you to you and your family for your tremendous gift to Driscoll and, ultimately, to the children of the Rio Grande Valley. The Robert and Laurie Lozano Family Life Currency Endowment is an amazing gift to Driscoll and to the children and the families of the Rio Grande Valley. 

The support that we’ve gotten from the community down here, as Matt said, has been just tremendous since we started this project down here. We’ve always had wonderful support from the community, but as soon as we announced our hospital, the support has just been unbelievable from the community. The employees we’ve hired – as Matt explained, we have nearly a thousand employees here from the local community that we hired – are just outstanding.

Also the families and patients at Driscoll Children’s Hospital. Their support has also just been amazing, and we’re so grateful to them, and it’s just an honor, and it’s just a blessing to be able to serve them and all of you here in the Rio Grande Valley.

We have amazing doctors and nurses and all of our employees down here in the Valley who are committed to service in the Rio Grande Valley. 

And as Matt explained, the Driscoll Way, that is our customer service approach. It’s how we approach everything at Driscoll, and it permeates throughout the organization. And this gift from the Lozano family will enable us to recognize and reward the best of the best of what we call our Driscoll Way Heroes, those employees who truly, truly, set the example for everybody and bring everybody up; that rising tide raises all boats. 

And that’s what this (endowment) will enable our employees to do. This will provide additional funding for training and development for our Driscoll Way Heroes, and ultimately have a direct impact on patient care and service for the children in the Rio Grande Valley. 

So thank you again so much. We appreciate you, and we’re thankful to you and your family and the Life Currency Endowment for your support at Driscoll and our and employees.

And again, we’d like to thank the Children’s Miracle Network and the donating customers through F&P Brands who visited Dairy Queen, Schlotzky’s, and Cinnabon locations to also make this gift possible. So thank you, and Together We Heal. God bless you.

Editor’s Note: Here is an audio recording of the remarks made by Robert and Laurie Lozano at the press conference:

Story continues:

F&P Brands runs the Dairy Queen franchise in the Valley. In a posting on social media, Dairy Queen RGV said:

“Together with Driscoll Children’s Hospital, we announced the $1 million Robert & Laurie Lozano Family “Life Currency” Endowment. This fund will support Driscoll Healthcare workers and ensure that local children can always access world-class medical care. A portion of the funds will provide monetary incentives to frontline staff, while the rest will support the Driscoll Way program, offering training and development opportunities.

“F&P Brands believes that “Life Currency” are those intangible gifts like learning and personal development that are provided to team members through programs like the Driscoll Way, which enrich their lives personally and professionally and extend beyond the hospital walls. 

“We’re incredibly grateful to our team and fans for their unwavering support. Your contributions are making a real difference in the lives of countless children and families and allows us all to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. 

“Together, we are Miracle Makers. Together, We Heal.

“Help us continue making a difference! Visit your local F&P Brands Dairy Queen or Schlotzsky’s to learn more about how you can support our community initiatives and be a part of this life-changing journey.”

Editor’s Note: Click here to learn more about F&P Brands.

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