Linda and Frank Surdakowski
At Home in Phoenix, with Heart
Two long-term John C. Lincoln Health Network volunteers credit their work with the organization with helping them put down roots in the Valley of the Sun.
"We moved across country with our baby, far away from our families and friends in Brooklyn, to Phoenix. Frank was coming to start a cardiology practice at John C. Lincoln. That was in 1980. Paul was eight months old and I was pregnant with Jeff. Scott was born here three years later," remembers Linda Surdakowski.
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Linda and Frank Surdakowski have enriched the John C. Lincoln Health Network with their talent and resources for 27 years. |
"We were so far away from home. Phoenix was so very different from Brooklyn. We had grown up with family being very close, and now we were raising our family way out here in Arizona," she remembers. "Coming here was an adventure, and it was an opportunity to be part of a growing organization we believed in, with people we enjoyed and wanted to get to know better. Here it is 27 years later, and we’ve enjoyed growing our friendships, our family and our involvement with John C. Lincoln."
The North Phoenix couple has been active with John C. Lincoln medical staff and volunteer activities for all of those 27 years. Among their many other activities, Frank has chaired the Foundation Guild, and Linda has chaired two Night of Gold balls. The Surdakowskis say they enjoy seeing the synergy of their efforts pay off for the patients served by the John C. Lincoln Health Network.
"Frank helped set up the Network’s first cardiac catheterization laboratory, and our work with the Foundation had helped buy the lab’s initial equipment," remembers Linda. "We’ve had several projects like that, where we’re involved in several aspects of it—and it’s exciting."
"It’s always satisfying to work on projects here at John C. Lincoln," says the cardiologist and father of three. "We’re working with people we know and respect, and we’re working on projects we know are important to our community. We work hard, but we have a lot of fun together."
The Surdakowskis attended their first Night of Gold Ball back in 1983, and Linda has chaired it twice in the ensuing years.
"When I chaired it 17 years ago, we raised about $30,000. This year’s event raised a record-breaking $325,000. It’s exciting to see that much growth, and to think of what can be accomplished with that kind of money."
The Surdakowskis, along with other community leaders and physicians, have been part of the John C. Lincoln Health Network Foundation Guild for many years.
Each year, the volunteers of the Guild sponsor the Night of Gold Ball and the Lincoln Guild Invitational golf tournament—this year set for Sept. 11—to raise funds for Network projects.
"We’re still a long way from Brooklyn, but our home is here now," says Linda. "We’ve made Phoenix our home, and John C. Lincoln Health Network has played a big part in that."
To find out more about how you can join Linda and Frank in making a difference in your community, call the John C. Lincoln Health Foundation at (602) 870-6306.