Why I Give: Savannah Hinman

“It feels really good to make a gift in memory of my loved ones.”

Savannah Hinman, RN
Manager-Perioperative Services
UW Health

Making a gift to support the patient assistance fund through the Love Lights program each holiday season has become an important way for Savannah Hinman to honor the memory of her loved ones.

Friends of UW Health has hosted Love Lights for more than 25 years. The bright lights illuminating the hospital entrance are a symbol of hope and healing while donations help patients and families in our care with travel and living expenses.

Savannah remembers the winter she made her first donation. “We had a loss in our family, and I just really wanted to make a gift so that particular loved one’s memory could be carried on. Having the lights represent that individual was really impactful for me and I’ve continued to add other family members to the list each year,” she shared.

As someone who has been in patient care for years as a registered nurse and now Perioperative Services Manager for General Surgery at University Hospital, Savannah understands the challenges patients face. But after her son was hospitalized with RSV for six nights winter 2023, it made her realize the power a simple gesture like a $20 gift card for gas could make.

She says that it feels good to know that she’s helping to ease the burden on patients and families while remembering her loved ones. “That’s the kind of people they were here on earth and carrying that forward is meaningful to me.”