FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. - SPIRE Credit Union has partnered with champion wrestler Gable Steveson to collect new shoes and clothing for patients at Regions Hospital.
Donations can be dropped off at any SPIRE location, and collected items will be given to patients in need at Regions.
"I'm so excited to work with SPIRE to help every Regions patient get the shoes and clothing they need," said Steveson, a SPIRE member who won a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and two national wrestling titles with the University of Minnesota. "Some people come into the hospital in crisis. We want to make sure they leave in comfort and dignity."
SPIRE CU said Regions Hospital often treats patients whose clothes and belongings are damaged due to their injuries or the urgent care that is provided. The hospital also treats patients who are unhoused or have limited resources and may not have proper clothing for extreme weather conditions.
The emergency center treats more than 250 people a day and serves a diverse and vulnerable population. Forty-seven percent of Regions patients are non-white and 75 percent are uninsured or covered by government sponsored insurance.
Below, from left, Dan Stoltz, SPIRE Credit Union; Jen Moberg, Regions Hospital; Jeff Fritz, Regions Hospital
In 2022 the credit union pledged to donate $200,000 over an eight-year period to Regions Hospital Foundation. SPIRE also purchases monthly meals for health care workers and staff at the hospital and has helped supply the paramedic lounge with grab-and-go snacks and other items.
"The work that Regions does is incredibly important to Minnesota," said Dan Stoltz, SPIRE president/CEO and Regions Hospital Foundation board member. "They support people not only in the Twin Cities but across the state during some of the worst moments of their lives. SPIRE is in the business of improving lives, and Regions shares that mission with us."