Giving From the Heart Brings Peace and Gratification Worth Experiencing

Helene and Howard Cohen

After more than 35 years of hard work building a successful commercial flooring business in New York City and the metro area, Helene B. and Howard S. Cohen made their way to Boca Raton, Florida. The Cohens decided to retire to the warmer weather in 2003 after a lung surgery made it difficult for Howard to take the cold winters.

Only settled in Boca Raton for less than a year, the Cohens were introduced to Boca Raton Regional Hospital when Howard had a medical episode that required hospitalization. Falling ill may have forced Helene and Howard to miss their planned cruise, but in the long run…it was a good thing. It was their hospital stay that brought them into our Debbie-Rand Memorial Service League volunteer auxiliary family.

As Helene explains, "We were so impressed by the attentiveness and caring manner of all the staff at the Hospital. From the nurses to the physicians to the dietary staff and of course the volunteers—you could tell they were happy to be part of Boca Regional. So, once Howard was feeling better, we decided to sign up as volunteers."

"That was 16 years ago that we started volunteering, and now this is a second home to us," Howard expresses. Volunteering two days a week at the reception desk and the radiation oncology department in the Eugene M. & Christine E. Lynn Cancer Institute (LCI), the Cohens agree, "We get more out of volunteering than we give…it feels very good to pay back to the community."

Boca Raton Regional Hospital feels just as fortunate to have the Cohens as part of our family. Not only are they dedicated members of the Debbie-Rand Memorial Service League, they are also generous donors to the Hospital. Helene and Howard make a generous gift every year to Boca Regional, yet Helene has always said that if they could ever give more…they would. And then, they did just that!

Recently, Helene and Howard agreed to make a substantial gift through a charitable gift annuity. A charitable gift annuity involves an agreement between you and the Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation where you make a gift and we, in return, agree to pay you (and someone else, if you choose) a fixed amount each year for the rest of your life.

When not volunteering and giving back to the community, the Cohens are enjoying activities at The Club at Boca Pointe where they have been residents since they moved to Boca Raton 19 years ago. Now an avid golfer, Howard enjoys being able to walk a short distance from his house to the course. They also like to travel, attend the theater, dine out with friends, and listen to music.

We are so incredibly grateful for everything that Helene and Howard do for Boca Raton Regional Hospital. As volunteers, their contagious up-beat personalities deliver the warmth and comfort our patients need. The nurses, physicians, and clinical staff that work with the Cohens agree that they do an incredible job of putting smiles on people's faces, especially when they need it most.

To learn more about ways you, like the Cohens, can make an impact at the Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation, contact Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation at 561-955-4142 or BRRHFoundation@baptisthealth.net.