When Tom MacLeay and his wife of 49 years, Charlotte, moved to Montpelier, Charlotte quickly connected with Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice. Nursing was Charlotte’s calling, according to Tom: “Wherever we lived, she found work helping others.” In fact, Tom recalls a 22-year-old Charlotte leaving their home in pigtails for one of her earliest nursing jobs.
Charlotte’s mother, Lorre, was the head nurse in the Emergency Department at Mt. Ascutney Hospital. She was the go-to person for anything in town, from giving shots to arranging lifesaving transports to the ED. By watching her mom, Charlotte learned that you give back however you can; it’s just what you do. It wasn’t a surprise, then, when Charlotte eagerly took on a similar role in Central Vermont.
Over the course of her career, Charlotte worked in home health, in hospitals, as a childbirth educator, and, later, as the Rumney Memorial School librarian. Charlotte was one of the first to establish a private business offering childbirth education in Central Vermont and led the effort to create a statewide network of educators.
Charlotte was passionate about public health, and home health and education were her favorite parts of nursing. When she connected with CVHHH, she began volunteering, offering blood pressure screenings, administering flu shots, and supporting hospice patients and their families. Eventually, she joined CVHHH’s Board of Directors and served several terms. In remembrance of Charlotte and her lifelong commitment to Vermont families, Tom accepted the invitation to serve as the Honorary Chair of CVHHH’s year-end fundraising campaign.
When Tom retired as CEO of National Life Group, he says he shifted his focus to activities that meet the needs of Central Vermonters, with an emphasis on children and families. Charlotte’s involvement with CVHHH over several decades exposed Tom to the incredible, positive impact this organization has on families in Central Vermont. “Like her, I believe that CVHHH has a tremendous mission, with consistently strong leadership and dedicated, professional, and caring staff,” says Tom. “When I look around, almost every family I see — including my own toward the end of Charlotte’s life — has been supported in some way by CVHHH.”
Tom says that it’s clear to him, as it was to Charlotte, that people want to stay in their home for as long as possible. CVHHH’s mission of delivering high-quality healthcare to Central Vermonters at home — and providing education and support to keep people at home — benefits patients, families, and the broader healthcare system.
“I’m proud to say that here in Central Vermont, we support our neighbors — it’s just what we do,” says Tom.
Your gift to CVHHH ensures that all Central Vermonters can continue to access high-quality healthcare when and where they want it. This builds resiliency and keeps people connected to their communities. This matters.
