Connecticut Children’s is Very Special to Me…

As a father, Randy Holmeen can appreciate the magnitude of having a freestanding, independent state-of-the-art children's hospital located in his hometown-one of only forty-nine in the United States.

"Connecticut Children’s is very special to me because I live in this community and it's an amazing resource for children," said the West Hartford resident who, over the past two decades, has helped the hospital raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to benefit pediatric care.

As a member of Connecticut Children’s Legacy Society, an organization whose members include the Health Care System in their estate plans, Holmeen is helping future generations of children as well.

"As a father who may someday be a grandfather, I want to ensure that our children and our children's children have the best care possible," he said.

Giving back to the community

Holmeen, a financial advisor and vice president of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, became acquainted with Connecticut Children’s in 2001 when he was working for another firm. "We wanted to give back to the community," he explained, "and I took on the responsibility of running a golf tournament."

From 2001-2006, Holmeen served as director of the "UBS Golf for the Kids," raising between $50,000 and $100,000 for Connecticut Children’s every year. In 2007, after joining Morgan Stanley, Holmeen put his volunteer experience into action as a committee member of the Geno for the Kids Charity Events Series. Since its inception, the Geno for the Kids Charity Events Series has raised more than $2.5 million to support Connecticut Children’s and the patients it serves.

"I'm in a business that is for-profit," Holmeen said. "We work hard to make sure our clients are happy. Because I live that each and every day, it's very rewarding to work on something that's not about profits and revenues. That's a big motivator for me," he said.

"I tell my clients on a regular basis that one of the most interesting things I've ever done in my life was a mini-internship at Connecticut Children’s," Holmeen noted. During the internship, Holmeen spent the day shadowing physicians as they met with patients and performed life-saving surgeries. "Being a risk manager/wealth advisor can be stressful," he said, "but this really helped me put things into perspective. It was an incredible experience."

An amazing place

"Connecticut Children’s is an amazing place," Holmeen said. "The décor, the culture, the people-they make it very comfortable for children. I've always been impressed by that and it keeps me motivated to help the hospital."

By including Connecticut Children’s in one's estate plans, Legacy Society members can do even more. A variety of planned giving options allow Legacy Society members to support important endowment and capital projects as well as enable the Health Care System to develop new programs and services in children's healthcare for years to come.

"Now, as a father, it's even more important to me," he said.