The Cherokee Indian Hospital Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports the well-being of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) by strengthening the Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority and the clinics that comprise it, has a new endowment at the North Carolina Community Foundation that will provide ongoing support for hospital employees.
The endowment for CIHF was established in honor of EBCI Beloved Woman Dr. Carmaleta Monteith, who has played a pivotal role in the Hospital Foundation since its establishment in 2006. Monteith, driven by her commitment to the community, has set an ambitious goal of raising $1 million for the new endowment.
The endowment for CIHF was established in honor of EBCI Beloved Woman Dr. Carmaleta Monteith, who has played a pivotal role in the Hospital Foundation since its establishment in 2006. (Photo by North Carolina Community Foundation)
Specifically created to provide essential financial aid to hospital employees aspiring to excel in the medical profession, the Carmaleta Monteith Endowment for Cherokee Hospital Foundation will offer scholarships and funding opportunities for continuing education and professional development. With this fund dedicated to serving and supporting the educational endeavors of Tribal members and hospital employees who serve Tribal members, every contribution made will help to build a brighter future for the next seven generations of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
“We are immensely grateful to Carmaleta Monteith for her exceptional dedication to the Cherokee Indian Hospital and her leadership in driving our fundraising efforts with the foundation,” said Brittney Lofthouse, executive director of development & community relations for Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority. “It is our hope that this endowment will create a lasting impact on the lives of Tribal members by supporting individuals working in health care within the Cherokee Indian Hospital system, empowering them to become future leaders and caregivers in the community.”
Monteith, 89, was a founding member of the Cherokee Indian Hospital Foundation Board and chairs the Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority’s Governing Board, a role she has held since the board’s inception in 2002. When Monteith graduated from Western Carolina University in 1956 with a bachelor’s degree in science education she was among the 5.8 percent of graduates identified as women and was one of the only 2,000 Native Americans enrolled in college. She later graduated from Emory University with a master’s in education and secured a Ph.D. Her academic publications have advanced research and understanding of indigenous health care around the country.
“Carmaleta has spent her 89 years on earth living a life of exemplary service. With dreams and ambition rooted in education and a desire to never stop learning, Carmaleta has adapted and transformed her influence a dozen times over in her lifetime, always adjusting to meet the greatest needs of those around her,” Lofthouse said. “She is a waymaker. A creator. A visionary. And she does it all with a fervent love and passion for the Cherokee People.”
Agency endowment funds are established by a nonprofit organization to provide a reliable source of income to support its mission or operations. A charitable organization, like the Cherokee Indian Hospital Foundation, that establishes an endowment with NCCF directly benefits from inclusion in a large investment portfolio, with access to experienced investment managers and other endowment services. There are over 350 agency endowments at NCCF, the only statewide community foundation serving North Carolina.
- North Carolina Community Foundation release
