JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Baptist Health on Thursday announced a $10 million gift from former Jaguars owners Wayne and Delores Weaver.
The donation is the largest gift that Baptist Health has received in its 57-year history. It will go to the health system's endowment, where it will generate perpetual funding for programs in pediatric and adolescent behavioral health, officials said.
The gift continues a partnership that the Weavers established with Baptist Health shortly after they moved to Jacksonville. Throughout the years, they have supported numerous programs at Wolfson Children's Hospital and Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville.
"Mr. and Mrs. Weaver have a unique place in the history of Baptist Health and in our community," said A. Hugh Greene, president and CEO of Baptist Health. "The Weavers' philanthropy has transformed so many lives here at Baptist Health and throughout the region. We are tremendously grateful and honored to receive such an incredible gift from two people who care so deeply for our community."
"Baptist Health has been one of our strategic partners from the moment we arrived in Jacksonville," Wayne Weaver said. "With this gift, we are forming another strategic partnership, which we are certain will strengthen services for children and young adults who are battling behavioral health conditions. We are also hopeful it will launch advocacy efforts to remove the stigma from these conditions so they are looked upon in the same way as any other treatable illness."
Baptist Health will recognize the Weavers' gift with the naming of the new patient tower at its Jacksonville campus, which begins serving patients in December. The J. Wayne and Delores Barr Weaver Tower expands services offered by Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville and Wolfson Children's Hospital within the same structure.
"We will be forever mindful of the Weavers' generosity and their lasting impact on our city and our community," Greene said. "We are delighted that we can demonstrate our appreciation to them in a highly visible and permanent way with the naming of our new patient tower in their honor."