Donor Spotlight: George and Deb Milligan

George and Deb Milligan are passionate about giving back to areas which support and improve the community.

George was introduced to MercyOne Central Iowa through his work at The Graham Group, for which he currently serves as president. He explained that MercyOne and The Graham Group have held a long-standing business relationship for many decades.

“The Graham Group, as well as Deb and I personally, have always supported MercyOne financially,” said George. “When you have a client that’s a non-profit, you need to support that client and the things they are doing in the community.”

Deb also started her career at MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center as a nurse and has been connected to MercyOne ever since.

For more than 35 years, George and Deb have supported multiple areas and projects within MercyOne Central Iowa. George recounts their involvement in many different projects, like building the Sullivan Center at Mercy College of Health Sciences, renovating the MercyOne Children’s Hospital’s Pediatrics and PICU floor and establishing the MercyOne Comfort Health Center for Women, to name a few.

“I don’t think we have missed being involved in a capital campaign that MercyOne has done in the last 30 years,” said George. “We just believe in what MercyOne has done and what they will do.”

“We don’t hesitate when we talk about supporting different programs and areas at MercyOne,” said Deb. “We know everything MercyOne does is always for the good of the community and their patients.”

Most recently, George and Deb provided support to the Campaign for the MercyOne Richard Deming Cancer Center. The patient-centered approach attracted them to the project.

“MercyOne has always offered a variety of services related to cancer care, and this new center will bring them all together, providing a better patient experience,” said George. “For the patient, there’s less moving parts and they can concentrate on their therapy and their illness rather than the logistics of multiple visits and multiple places. The Richard Deming Cancer Center will make it better for the patient who is in a really difficult time in their life.”

George and Deb are co-chairing the 2021 MercyOne House of Mercy Game Show Gala along with Chris and Jaime Cornelius. The Gala is a fun-spirited, game show-styled styled fundraiser that supports MercyOne House a Mercy, one of Iowa’s largest and most comprehensive providers of vital services for persons with substance use disorders, especially parenting women with children. The Graham Group is serving as Presenting Sponsor for this year’s Gala as well.

The Milligans also co-chaired the very first House of Mercy Game Show Gala in 2009. They both expressed their excitement to be co-chairing this event again and hope this year’s Gala is successful and surpasses the fundraising goal to provide a stronger impact for House of Mercy, the programs it offers and the clients it supports.

George and Deb say they are rooting for those currently receiving treatment at House of Mercy and hope they receive the care they need.

“House of Mercy is an important piece of care that MercyOne provides to the community that directly impacts women and children,” said George. “This is a great program that wouldn’t exist if there wasn’t support from companies and individuals.”

George and Deb care deeply about giving back to the community and supporting those in need. They truly believe in MercyOne’s mission to transform the health of the community.

“MercyOne is a long standing part of the community and is an important resource to everyone,” said George. “To me, part of living in Des Moines is supporting the things that are important to the community.”

For more information on how you can support different programs and areas at MercyOne Central Iowa, please contact Senior Director of Development, Sophia S. Ahmad at SAhmad@mercydesmoines.org or 515-643-8035.