Keyes Family’s $1 Million Gift To Benefit The Valley Hospital in Paramus and Support Employee Resiliency

Karen and Kevin Keyes know that it takes teamwork to provide exceptional patient care. Ridgewood residents for more than 20 years, they recognize that great care involves everyone from the CEO to the physicians, from the security team to the nursing staff, and from the environmental services teams to the many other employees whose work allows Valley Health System to run smoothly.

When Karen had a health scare of her own several years ago, Valley was the hospital that cared for her. She recalls not only the medical treatment that she received but also the moral support and encouragement from the nursing staff and other team members.

“We have always been very impressed with the culture of Valley, which is really nurtured by the leadership team,” said Karen, a Trustee of The Valley Hospital Foundation and the former head women’s basketball coach for Ridgewood High School. “I was very appreciative of how Valley took care of me.”

Karen, the color commentator for the University of Notre Dame women’s basketball broadcast team, and Kevin, the former Chairman and CEO of Annaly Capital Management, recently made a generous $1 million leadership gift to The Valley Hospital Foundation.

Their gift – $500,000 toward the Serve. Care. Transform. campaign to support construction of The Valley Hospital in Paramus and $500,000 to establish the Karen and Kevin Keyes Endowment – recognizes the care that Karen received as a patient and the role Valley plays in the area. In recognition of their generous gift, the Welcome Garden at The Valley Hospital in Paramus will be named in honor of the Keyes family.

The Karen and Kevin Keyes Endowment is designated to be used at the discretion of Valley’s President and CEO to support initiatives that encourage employee engagement and boost morale, satisfaction, and resiliency.

“We wanted to support Valley’s future with a gift toward the new hospital, but we also know that there is a tremendous team at Valley and wanted to recognize all the people at the bedside and behind the scenes who make up Valley and care for our community,” said Karen, who has also been a member of Valley’s Women For Health since 2011.

Karen and Kevin are both graduates of the University of Notre Dame, where Karen played collegiate basketball and Kevin played tennis. Philanthropy has long been important to the couple and to their three children, Cassie, Johnny, and Katie. “It’s an exciting time for Valley, and we feel blessed to be a part of it,” Karen said. “We’re happy to be able to support our hospital and our community.”