MOUNT AIRY – This year, Surry Medical Ministries is celebrating Christmas a few days early.
Earlier this week, leaders of the clinic learned that the Rye Foundation in Winston-Salem is making a charitable investment of $10,000 to help SMM expand its services to children.
“This is a wonderful gift to receive right at Christmas,” said Nancy Dixon, executive director of the ministry since 2012.
Warren Steen, the president of the Rye Foundation, recalled his very first conversation with Dixon. “Nancy told me, ‘We have strong support from our faith community, strong support from the medical community, and strong support from our business community.’ We decided that we wanted to be involved in a partnership like that.”
Indeed, since SMM moved to its new facility in 2022, total medical appointments here increased by 49 percent.
According to Dixon, the Rye charitable gift will allow SMM to accommodate up to 200 more children, and, in addition, provide funds to purchase Bibles in Spanish and English.
Within the past few weeks, leaders of the two organizations met at SMM to review priority funding needs. While meeting in a conference room, they heard “happy noises” in the lobby waiting area.
Then they met Tadeo, a 2-year-old waiting for his follow-up appointment, riding a scooter!
Rye board member, Ingram Hedgpeth, summarized the importance of that chance encounter. “At that moment,” he stated, “we realized that Surry Medical Ministries is about patient efficiency and budgeting. It is about children like Tadeo who need quality medical services.”
For that reason, Christmas has come early at 951 Rockford Street.