CH Foundation Thanks Donors with Evening of Gratitude and Stories of the Impact of Giving

On a warm early summer evening overlooking the Columbia River last week, friends, supporters and caregivers gathered at Union Hill Cider Co. to reflect on something both deeply personal and broadly shared: the quiet, powerful impact of caring for one another.

The 2026 Friends of the Foundation Reception was, at its heart, a simple expression of gratitude and a chance to thank those whose generosity makes so much possible. But as the evening unfolded through music, conversation and stories, it also became a reminder that what may feel simple or commonplace in the moment can come together to create something extraordinary that changes lives in ways that are hard to measure.

For nearly five decades, the Confluence Health Foundation has worked alongside the community to ensure care remains close to home by supporting patients, strengthening the healthcare workforce, investing in equipment and technology, and expanding programs that improve quality of life across the region as the philanthropic arm of Confluence Health. Those goals were not just outlined as an abstract list that evening. Instead, that impact of the work in action was felt in the stories told by those who experienced the results.

One of those stories came from Ethan Lockwood.

Less than two years ago, Ethan’s life changed in an instant. Trapped in a burning vehicle after a devastating car accident, he sustained severe injuries, including life-threatening damage to his heart. His chance of surviving surgery—and the long recovery that would follow—was uncertain at best. Heroically pulled from the wreckage by members of the Orondo Fire Department, he was rushed to Confluence Health Hospital Central Campus, where teams moved quickly to stabilize him and begin the work of saving his life. Though he had no memory of the accident – and of the two weeks before and one month after due to the intense trauma he experienced – Ethan described the efforts that went into him being able to speak to Foundation supporters that evening, and the care he received from so many extraordinary people while at his most vulnerable.

For his parents, Nancy and Jeff Lockwood, the call from Washington State to their home in Wyoming was every parent’s worst fear. They arrived frightened and unsure of what they would find. What they experienced instead was care that went beyond the clinical. They spoke of teams who stayed with them in those moments: offering clarity when things were uncertain, and presence when it mattered most. In the middle of fear, they found steadiness and support.

Ethan’s partner, Molly, was by his side throughout. She shared how that care carried through every phase, not only in the hospital, but in the rehabilitation that followed—allowing him to recover close to home, surrounded by the people who knew him best, which was its own form of critical medicine. Soon, she explained, they will celebrate 11 years together, a future that once felt uncertain.

In time, Ethan returned not as a patient, but as a living reflection of what is possible. Today, he walks, runs, and lives a life that gives little indication of what he endured. He credits the teams at Confluence Health with saving his life.

His father, Jeff, described how he has worked to understand the experience in his own way—writing a three-part opera that captures the fragments of those moments and will premiere this fall in Wyoming. It is another expression of how people carry forward what they have been through, reshaping it into something that endures.

Throughout the evening, that idea of transformation—of something given becoming something greater—was present in both words and in the small details.

“Philanthropy is about more than dollars; it’s about what those resources make possible in moments that truly matter,” reflected Suzanne Carte-Cocroft, chief philanthropy officer at Confluence Health, after the event. “Our donors may not always see the exact moment their gift makes a difference, but it’s there—in the care someone receives, in the support a family feels, and in the ability for our teams to be ready when it matters most.”

That connection between generosity and care was echoed by Wenatchee Valley Medical Group Vice President Dr. Lauren Weber and Chief Nursing Officer Dr. Kelly Allen, who spoke to the way philanthropy directly strengthens patient care by ensuring teams have what they need, when they need it, to provide safe and compassionate care.

Even the parting gifts reflected that message. Guests left with a simple collection—a tomato plant, basil, and a small bottle of olive oil—along with a quiet idea that, when combined, even simple ingredients can create something sustaining, wonderful, and greater than the sum of its parts. Much like the donors themselves, whose individual contributions come together to support something far greater.

“This work is about magnifying,” continued Carte-Cocroft. “Our donors’ gifts magnify and support this Foundation and the work it can do. That, in turn, expands upon the ability of Confluence Health to be there for our patients and families in those times that matter, ensuring local care by and for our community can be a reality.”

“Evenings like this help magnify and zoom in on what that generosity looks like in action: a person’s life saved, a loved one returned home, and a life now full of possibilities,” she concluded. “We’re so incredibly grateful for opportunities like this evening to really take a close look at how these quiet contributions do so much to move us forward together in care for our community.”