“The families of Tamara Cundey Dunstan extend our deepest thanks to all the very special people who have made this day possible and this worthy cause such a success. Words cannot express the comfort these good deeds have brought to our families during these most difficult times,” said Bernard Dunstan, Tamara’s husband. “This fund will serve as Tamara’s avenue to reach down and continue to touch the hearts of the patients and their families. We also thank you, Tamara, for awakening in so many people the loving, caring and giving qualities that were so much a part of your life.”

“The Tamara Cundey Dunstan Memorial Endowment Fund ensures ongoing support for the special needs of our pediatric oncology patients and their families,” said Don Snell, President and CEO of MCG Health, Inc. “Tamara was a dedicated nurse who spent a great deal of her time in these halls. I can’t think of a more fitting way to honor the memory of this young woman who dedicated her life to caring for children with cancer.”

"This endowment will serve as a lasting tribute to Mrs. Dunstan and the children and families who meant so much to her," said MCG President Daniel W. Rahn. "We thank her family, her friends and the community for their support in ensuring that children with cancer continue to receive the family-centered care they deserve. This philosophy is at the heart of the care we deliver each day as well as the education we provide to health care providers of tomorrow."

“In our role in setting up the endowment fund, we received contributions from all over the country as well as locally,” said Dan Blanton, President and CEO of Georgia Bank & Trust Company. “The heartfelt emotion contained in the many letters accompanying these contributions truly touched me. Our bank was glad to do what we could to help the family in honoring the life of this beautiful and caring young lady.”

Some of the special needs that the fund may support include: dinners for patients and their families, including those who have traveled far from home to receive care at the MCG Children’s Medical Center; toys, games and other recreational items to help make a child’s hospital stay more pleasant; Camp Rainbow, an annual summer camp for children with cancer; and furnishings in the pediatric oncology/surgery unit.

The fund has been supported through generous donations from family, friends, the community and beyond. A local holiday event, the 12 Bands of Christmas concert, also benefits the endowment fund.

For more information on how to contribute to the Tamara Cundey Dunstan Memorial Endowment Fund, contact Mary Davis at 706-721-1817.

MCG Health System is composed of three separate organizations -- MCG Health, Inc. and the clinical services offered by the faculty employees of the Medical College of Georgia and the members of the Physicians Practice Group. The physicians of MCG Health System are community physicians, faculty employees of the Medical College of Georgia, and employees of the Physicians Practice Group, not employees of MCG Health Inc. MCG Health, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation operating the MCG Medical Center, MCG Children’s Medical Center, the MCG Sports Medicine Center, MCG Ambulatory Care Center, the Georgia Radiation Therapy Center and related clinical facilities and services. MCG Health, Inc. was formed to support the research and education mission of the Medical College of Georgia and to build the economic growth of the CSRA, the state of Georgia and the Southeast by providing an environment for faculty employees of the Medical College of Georgia and the Physicians Practice Group and community physicians to deliver the highest level of primary and specialty health care. For more information, please visit www.MCGHealth.org.