The History Behind the Cameron Foundation

In November 1919, at 30, Don F. Cameron returned to his childhood home in Hamilton, Indiana. He wanted to help his father, a country doctor, in pursuit of starting his own surgical practice.

Many Steuben County doctors, acquaintances of his father, began referring their surgery patients to Dr. Cameron. “I soon bought an autoclave and carried in my car a complete set of sterile instruments. The [family] doctor gave the anesthesia, and the dining table made a good operating room,” said Dr. Cameron. He saw the need for a surgical clinic in Angola, and in 1926 bought the Hendry octagonal home across the street on the site of what is now Cameron Hospital.

Dr. Cameron was proud of the fact that he singlehandedly funded both the initial hospital in Angola and one in Bryan, Ohio. In 1937 they were incorporated under the name of Cameron Memorial Hospitals, until the two ultimately merged into Cameron Memorial Community Hospital in 1972.

The Cameron Foundation serves as a bridge between Cameron Hospital and the community. Our focus is to promote awareness of the hospital and a philanthropic culture that supports our mission to improve the quality of life for those we serve.

Cameron Hospital Foundation strives to make a difference in the community and in the lives of our patients. The Foundation and philanthropy are a major part of Cameron Hospital. Dollars raised by the Foundation improve and enhance the quality of healthcare offered.

The foundation consists of four different societies that each play a specific role in raising money and awareness for the foundation and hospital: Don F. Cameron Society, Community Relations Committee, the 1926 Society, and the R.O.O.T.S. Committee.

Projects are selected in collaboration with hospital leadership and the Board of Directors, along with input from Development Council volunteers. Projects are determined by the needs of the community and the hospital’s strategic initiatives. Past projects of the Cameron Foundation include Home Care support for Palliative Care Patients, mammograms for underserved women, heated oversized infusion chair, AED for boy scout camp, Narcan kits for area schools, AED and emergency medicine kits for area schools.

We are so excited to share more about the Cameron Foundation and the societies at the hospital. Our Facebook page highlights some of the events we have posted and additional insight into the history of these groups. Thanks to the generosity of our community, these groups can provide support for many.