Charitable Remainder Trust Benefits Hospital
Their move from the Monterey Peninsula to Maui nearly 10 years ago had nothing to do with healthcare, but it's the whole reason they're moving back.
Maria and Wilhelm (Bill) Weber cherished their 20 years on the Peninsula, which included his tenure as dean of the Graduate School of Translation and Interpretation at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, and her diverse involvement in the Community Hospital Auxiliary.
And a daughter. And a grandson. All of which they knew they would miss when they left in 1998.
The truth of the matter is the Webers went in search of warmth. They found it in a beautiful home overlooking Ka'anapali, along with ambient air and inspiring views and fine dining and diverse art and really good friends.
They also found exorbitant prices for gas, food, and housing ? and a dearth of quality healthcare facilities. That might be fine if you're only there for a 10-day vacation and expecting nothing more than getting overdone in the sun.
But Maria is diabetic and also has had several surgeries related to arthritis, including three hip surgeries, all of them at Community Hospital.
"The excellent care I received at Community Hospital during my most recent hip surgery precipitated what we'd been thinking about, that we're going to move back to the Peninsula very soon," says Maria.
The couple's experiences with the hospital also precipitated a generous gift. They have chosen to express their appreciation by establishing a $1.5 million charitable remainder unitrust benefiting the hospital. Half of the trust was established in support of the Maria and Wilhelm Weber Sponsored Care Endowment Fund, and half in support of the Critical Care Endowment Fund.
Their experiences in Hawaii brought their experiences on the Peninsula into sharp relief.
"Maui is a little island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, an outer island," Maria says, "where it is very difficult to get doctors, nurses, pharmacists ? any kind of good medical personnel.
"There is only one state hospital on the island. I have been very involved in trying to get a private group and hospital together on Maui, and have been in Honolulu, testifying at the legislature. I firmly believe competition is good, especially in the medical field. It keeps people on their toes, always trying to do things better, as Community Hospital has done."
The Webers had not gone in search of healthcare comparisons. But they found themselves making them, realizing, as time went by, that they would need to ensconce themselves in a healthcare community equipped to take care of them. Their perspective was formed by a world of experience.
Bill, who was raised in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, had been an equestrian trainer before going into translation and interpretation. With German, French, English, Dutch, Spanish, and Italian at his avail, he departed the Monterey Institute after 14 years to establish Language Services International, Inc., a company that continues to provide interpreters for events worldwide, including the Olympic Games.
Maria, whose Italian father was in the diplomatic services, was raised in Italy, Venezuela, and Switzerland. She speaks English, French, Italian, Spanish, and "a smattering of German," and she trained as a surgical and intensive care nurse in Europe before moving to California.
"Ever since I could remember," she says, "I have always been fascinated by medicine. I always wanted to be a nurse; medicine is my great love. I have a degree in biology, which I got in London, and I earned my RN degree in Paris. Although the result is the same in Europe and in the United States, the path is totally different. So, because of licensure differences, I can work as a nurse anywhere in the world except the United States, Great Britain, and Guam."
Bill and Maria met in Geneva, where he had completed his graduate education, and she pursued her nursing career.
"Even when we moved to the Peninsula," she says, "I looked for ways to get involved with a hospital because I feel totally at home there; it is a very safe place for me. So, I joined the Auxiliary and, over the next 12 years, I held almost every imaginable position.
"When I was volunteering at Community Hospital, I cannot tell you how impressed and proud I was, not only with the way the hospital is run but by the level of personal care provided by the doctors, nurses, lab technicians ? everyone. Moving to Maui only made it more evident. We are very lucky to have the kind of healthcare we have on the Monterey Peninsula."