Marshall Medical Centers

The Foundation for Marshall Medical Centers Dedicates Ambulatory Cart in Memory of Coach Dennis Hicks

GUNTERSVILLE, ALABAMA – February 23, 2012 – The Dennis Hicks Memorial Fund honors the life of long time coach and educator Dennis Hicks of the Sand Mountain Community. Mr. Hicks passed away of a heart complications in September 2011 and his wife, Mrs. Bona Faye Hicks, helped establish the fund in his honor to support the purchase of an ambulatory cart for use at Marshall Medical Centers.

For the past six months, the Foundation for Marshall Medical Centers with the generous help of Mrs. Hicks has been raising money toward the purchase of the ambulatory cart. By the beginning of 2012, the Foundation had raised almost $16,000 from more than 100 donors county wide – enough to purchase the cart and a protective cover for it. The cart will be on site at Therapy Plus Fitness at Marshall Medical Center South to transport patients in need of emergency medical care. “The use of this cart for critical patients could be the difference between life and death,” Mrs. Hicks says, “and I can’t imagine a better way to honor the memory of my husband.”

On February 21, 2012, a dedication ceremony was held at the Marshall Medical Center South Women’s Center for the ambulatory cart. Keynote speaker was Dr. Andrew Finlay who initiated the idea to raise money for the cart purchase and is close to the Hicks family. “If the Medical Centers had purchased this cart, it would have been just another piece of equipment. But with the help of the community and Mrs. Hicks, the cart now has a much more special meaning,” said Dr. Finlay at the dedication ceremony. The Foundation for Marshall Medical Centers also awarded Mrs. Hicks with an appreciation plaque and an inscribed stone on the Giving Tree at Marshall South to commemorate her efforts. After the program, guests were able to enjoy refreshments and get a good look at the brand new ambulatory cart – complete with lettering that reads “Coach Dennis Hicks Memorial.”

“Words cannot express how thankful we are to the community for supporting this very worthy cause,” says Andrea Oliver, director of the Foundation for Marshall Medical Centers. “The cart will be used to quickly (within five minutes) transport any critical patient from Therapy Plus Fitness to the Emergency Room at Marshall Medical Center South. This is exactly why the Foundation was started and we are excited to see the idea of healthcare philanthropy catching on in such a big way within our community. We hope to bring more resources to Marshall Medical Centers through the Foundation in the future.”

The Dennis Hicks Memorial Fund is a part of The Foundation for Marshall Medical Centers, a non-profit charitable organization. All donations made to the Dennis Hicks Memorial Fund are tax-deductible will be put to use to maintain the ambulatory cart and other cardiac related needs that may arise. Please call 256-571-8026 or email for more information.

Please see the PDF below for a list of all donors and a photo of the cart.

Get The PDF

For more information contact Marshall Medical Center's Marketing Department at 256.571.8925