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OUR HISTORY

Deaconess Community Foundation ("DCF") is a foundation that was formed out of the sale of a health care system.

The word "deaconess" has been and continues to be a significant part of where we came from, who we are and what we do. The name "deaconess" means messenger, servant or helper and comes from the Greek work "diakonos". The deaconess movement trained women to be diakonal ministers or deaconesses, primarily teachers and nurses. In April 1923, Evangelical Deaconess Hospital, the predecessor to Deaconess Hospital of Cleveland, was opened in the old Brooklyn neighborhood of Cleveland. In December 1994, Deaconess Health Systems, the parent of Deaconess Hospital of Cleveland and several other hospital-related concerns, sold the hospital to a for-profit company. During the years 1995 and 1996, the Board of Trustees of Deaconess Health Systems completed a thorough strategic planning process that produced a new name, new focus, new mission statement, and established a trust.

In 1997, the name of Deaconess Health Systems was changed to Deaconess Community Foundation, the new mission statement was adopted, IRS approval as a public charity was received, and DCF began to chart a new course as a grantmaker in the greater Cleveland area. The mission statement that was adopted in 1997 has withstood the test of time and is DCF’s current mission statement, namely:

Unlike many other health care conversion foundations, DCF’s mission does not focus on health care. The focus of DCF’s mission - empowering people to become self-sufficient – is reflective of the hospital’s charitable giving activity that has roots in the Evangelical church (a predecessor to the United Church of Christ) and its German culture of "help yourself" and "self-sufficiency".

DCF’s ongoing relationship with the United Church of Christ is expressed in its mission statement and core values, as well as embodied in its governance structure. DCF embraces its tradition and history of ministry in the United Church of Christ and its values of inclusiveness, compassion, justice, and equality. In addition, DCF’s governance structure requires that nine of its fifteen Trustees be members of United Church of Christ churches.

DCF also owns and operates three HUD housing facilities for the low-income elderly that were part of the old health care system. Deaconess-Krafft Center and Deaconess-Zane Center are located in the old Brooklyn neighborhood of the city of Cleveland and Deaconess-Perry Center is located in North Royalton. Through its continued ownership and operation of these facilities, DCF carries out its mission and provides affordable housing and independence for 235 low-income seniors. For more information, please call (216) 459-2870 or email our Senior Housing Administrator, Steve Shroka, at sshroka@deacomfdn.org.