Areas of Giving

2025 Year-End Giving - Greatest Need

BETTER TOGETHER: BUILDING ON THE FUTURE OF RURAL HEALTHCARE

Riverwood is proud to remain an independent health system – that independence means the decisions that shape healthcare are made locally, for the good of our community – and not by a distant corporate office. It allows us to adapt quickly, meet challenges head-on, and keep the strong, personal connections that define rural healthcare.

Your generosity helps ensure Riverwood will remain independent, financially strong, and deeply rooted in this community for generations to come. Please see our year-end letter to learn more.

Riverwood Cancer Care Fund

Donations to this fund empower us to provide exceptional care and hope to cancer patients. Your contributions directly support critical treatments, provide advanced therapies, and essential support for patients and their families, ensuring everyone receives the best care possible. Together, we can make a difference in the fight against cancer.

Zachary Johnson Kids with Cancer Fund

At the age of 10 months, Zachary Johnson was diagnosed with AML Leukemia. While Zachary was undergoing cancer treatment, his friends and family saw a need to help other families who may experience the same trials and tribulations they went through and established the Zachary Johnson Kids with Cancer Fund. This fund offers grants to Northern Minnesota families with a dependent child who has any form of cancer. This grant is to be used for anything the patient or caregiver wishes.

Emily's Gift - Helping Cancer Patients

Emily’s Gift has been established to help ease the burden of daily living expenses for patients who have been diagnosed with cancer and are receiving chemotherapy or radiation services. Emily’s gift will help fill the financial void by granting funds to cover immediate non-medical needs.

Surgical Expansion - Strengthening our Roots Campaign

Riverwood’s new Surgical expansion opened in August 2024, featuring 6 operating rooms, 3 endoscopy suites and 2 procedures rooms. The new expansion offers:
• Dedicated space for da Vinci surgeries
• Enhanced privacy for patients and families in recovery
• Advanced surgical procedures not available in our region
• Hybrid operating room: a state-of-the-art suite integrating high tech imaging into a classic operating room. This room provides advanced whole body x-ray allowing our surgeons to perform the most up-to-date minimally invasive surgeries and procedures

Riverwood Healing Garden

The Healing Garden, located on the grounds of Riverwood Healthcare Center in Aitkin, was created to provide a place of peace, tranquility, healing and reflection for patients, their families, Riverwood employees and all members of the community. This is a special place of honor to memorialize a loved one with a personalized memorial brick placed along the walkway. Bricks can also be inscribed in honor of a special person or special occasion.

Michael Zilverberg Health Education Endowment

Michael Zilverberg was strong community leader, always supportive of education and helping others. He was especially interested in providing educational opportunities and scholarships to those in our local healthcare community.

Michael passed away in 2004, and to carry on this legacy, his wife Jeannette established the Michael Zilverberg Healthcare Education Fund at Riverwood Foundation. The endowment is to be used as a scholarship or educational fund to aid in the education and recruitment of healthcare professionals for Riverwood Healthcare Center.

Scholarship applications are typically due May 1^st of each year, more information and application details will be available prior to application deadlines.

Roger & Sandy Wilson Nursing Scholarship Fund

In memory of the late Roger and Sandy Wilson, the Wilson family of Aitkin created the Roger and Sandy Wilson Scholarship to help individuals advancing their education in healthcare. Candidates must be employed by a local healthcare facility and must be accepted into an accredited LPN or RN program.

Scholarship applications are typically due May 1^st of each year, more information and application details will be available prior to application deadlines.

Riverwood Endowment Fund

Donations to this fund will continue to grow until they reach $500,000. When this goal is reached, the interest and dividends only from this fund will be used to fund healthcare projects. With an endowment, the principle is preserved and serves as a source of income for years to come.

Star of the North: Grateful Patient Program

Our Star of the North: Grateful Patient Program is designed to give patients and their families the opportunity to show appreciation and gratitude for a Riverwood team member who has helped them in a special way. Gifts are made to honor a physician or other provider, nurse, team member, office, or department that played a special role in a patient’s care. Riverwood Foundation delivers a token of recognition to the honoree(s) and shares the story with colleagues. Donations to the Grateful Patients Program helps Riverwood deliver the same compassionate care to others and means so much to those who are honored.

Riverwood Reads

Riverwood Reads is a fun way for our providers to use a book during well-child exams to examine a child’s motor skills and other developmental milestones.

What is Riverwood Reads?

– Children, ages birth through 8 years old, are given an age-appropriate book during their well-child exam.
– Providers incorporate literacy into primary care.
– Parents are educated about how and why to read their children.
– Children are given a foundation to success.

Golf Charity Event

Riverwood Foundation is thrilled to announce that its annual charity golf tournament was a tremendous success, raising $36,000 to support the Riverwood Cancer Care Fund.

The event held at Minnesota National Golf Course on July 11 welcomed 100 golfers to enjoy a beautiful day on the course with family, friends and colleagues. Golfers competed in a highly competitive best-dressed contest, cooler chipping and untraditional putting contests.

We are incredibly grateful to the golfers, volunteers, generous sponsors, and staff at MN National Golf Club and Resort for making this year’s event a huge success! Special thanks to our Major Sponsors: Paulbeck’s Market, DSGW Architecture and American Peat Technology.

We are looking forward to another successful Riverwood Foundation Golf Charity Event in 2026!

2025 Golf Thank You

Honoring 70 years of history and the future of healthcare in our community!

The Riverwood Legacy Gala held on September 13, 2025, brought together over 130 friends, neighbors, and supporters to celebrate 70 years of exceptional rural healthcare. From dueling pianos to live auctions, the evening was filled with joy, gratitude, and community spirit. Most importantly, we came together to ensure that exceptional healthcare remains close to home for generations to come. Thank you to our volunteers, sponsors, donors, and everyone who made this milestone celebration possible!

See more photos on our Facebook post.

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