Fred Najjar
Senior Vice President

Greetings from San Francisco! My name is Fred Najjar and I have the honor of Dignity Health Philanthropy serving as the Senior Vice President for Philanthropy at Dignity Health.   I had the distinct pleasure of meeting many of the St. Francis Foundation board members at their Annual St. Francis Angels Awards  Luncheon in June at the First Presbyterian Church. During my visit, I was very impressed by the nearly $12 million in grants awarded since 2004 from the foundation to various entities throughout Southern Santa Barbara County, and enjoyed meeting representatives of this year’s grants as they received their awards.  The diversification of the grants awarded and their impact clearly demonstrate the wonderful leadership of their board, led by past president Dianne Duva, current president Kathleen Baushke and Executive Director Debbie Cloud, as well as a dedicated board of directors.

In my role at Dignity Health, I lead thirty-one separately affiliated fundraising foundations spread across Arizona, California, and Nevada. Over the last five years, our foundations have engaged with nearly 200,000 donors to raise over half a billion dollars in support of healthy communities and our humankindness ministry. Some of the top areas donors supported during the past five years include: community outreach, new buildings/technology, neuromuscular disorders, heart and lung, cancer and oncology, education, mission services, women’s services and many more.

As a large healthcare system, Dignity Health is leading initiatives to address major societal issues such as human trafficking, maternal mood disorders, and keeping our kids safe in sports through our concussion education program. These initiatives cut across all the communities we serve and Dignity Health can play a major role in convening a national conversation to make a serious impact.

Dignity Health also serves as California’s largest safety net provider for health services. Our mission of low-cost, excellent care for everyone in our communities sets us apart from other health systems in the United States. We’re proud to live our heritage daily – by treating everyone who walks through our doors with the dignity and respect they deserve, while providing amazing care with a kind touch!

We hope you will continue to support the St. Francis Foundation of Santa Barbara in the years to come and remember our collective impact can truly change the world. To learn more about all the wonderful things we do in Philanthropy, visit the Dignity Health annual report at https://gettoknowphilanthropy.info

Sincerely,

Fred Najjar
Senior Vice President