Donor Stories
What keeps someone driving 80 minutes for care long after retirement? For Ed Hurley, it’s trust built over decades, deep gratitude, and a shared belief in the power of strong community institutions. From his early days leading the Hockomock Area YMCA to his family’s most personal moments of care, Ed’s connection to Sturdy Health runs deep. His story is one of partnership, philanthropy, and a heartfelt commitment to the people and place that have meant so much to him and his family. Read more
Stephanie Hartley has always been a caregiver at heart. After graduating from high school, she worked in various roles in the healthcare field, including positions as a medical assistant, pharmacy technician, and certified nurse assistant for a home healthcare agency. However, it was her decade-long experience caring for a cherished family member that truly inspired her to pursue her dream of advancing her career in healthcare. Determined and committed, Stephanie decided it was time to turn that dream into a reality.
She had been working in the endoscopy unit at Sturdy Health for five years when she shared her dream of becoming a registered nurse (RN) with a coworker, who introduced her to the Bensson Endowed Fund. Read more
A lifelong resident of Attleboro, Albert R. Allard, Jr., or “Buddy” as he was known by his family and close friends, is thankful for the care he and his family received by Sturdy Memorial Hospital for nearly 80 years. Growing up in Dodgeville, a graduate of Attleboro High School (Class of 1954), and a longtime employee of L.G. Balfour Company, Buddy remembers Sturdy as his family’s trusted medical resource from childhood to adulthood. He and his wife, Rita, welcomed their two children, Kimberly and Timothy, into this world at Sturdy Memorial Hospital.
“It was back in a time when you would drop off your wife at a green door that was located where the Emergency Room is now,” Allard recalls. “Eventually, you’d get a call from the hospital that your child was born.” Read more
Much of Mary Ellen Fauth’s adult life has been associated with Sturdy Memorial Hospital. “I gave birth to my second child here, our primary care physicians are Sturdy physicians, and as we get older—our more complicated health issues are being treated by the doctors we’ve grown to trust here,” shares Fauth.
Fauth and her husband Curt have been married for 50 years. After growing up in Springfield, Massachusetts and relocating to California for work, they found themselves finally settling in Southeastern, MA to raise their family—first in Wrentham and later in Foxboro. Having no prior knowledge of Sturdy, the delivery of Mary Ellen’s baby was the catalyst for their long-term involvement with the Hospital. Read more
