Wentworths Make Generous $2 Million Gift in Support of The Valley Hospital in Paramus

11/1/22

Tim and Robin Wentworth’s philanthropic journey started with a piano. Both proud graduates of Monroe Community College in Rochester, New York, they gifted the school’s music department a Steinway piano on which students would be able to learn, compose, and perform. “Robin was a music major, and we wanted the students to be able to sit at a concert piano and dream about a career from that place in their lives at that time,” Tim explains. In the years that followed, the Wentworths have made an enormous impact on many organizations with their exceptional generosity.

With Tim’s career in healthcare services taking them to different cities around the United States, Tim and Robin have prioritized investing in the communities in which they have settled. “We feel very fortunate to be in this position and look to do things that will then be able to be multiplied in their effectiveness and help the greatest number of people,” Robin says. This includes establishing several scholarship funds in their hometown of Rochester, New York, including both Monroe Community College and the University of Rochester, and supporting program and campus expansion at Covenant House Missouri, which serves homeless, runaway, and at-risk youth in St. Louis.

In December 2021, Tim retired as the chief executive officer of Evernorth, a health services solutions company, and the couple settled back East once again in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey. Needing new doctors, one of their daughters directed Tim and Robin to Valley Medical Group (VMG). From there they were reacquainted with Valley as a health system and introduced to plans for The Valley Hospital in Paramus. As the couple considered philanthropic opportunities in the area that aligned with their values, they felt strongly about stepping forward with support for the new hospital, making a generous $2 million leadership gift. “We are lucky to be grateful, healthy patients,” Robin says. Tim agrees, adding, “The quality of care we have received from our VMG doctors has been stellar, and our experience has made us even more confident in Valley as a first-class healthcare destination. The plans for the hospital in Paramus show the leadership and strategic vision of Audrey and her board, and we are thrilled to be a part of something that will serve and benefit this community for generations to come.”

When it came time to decide where to direct their gift, Tim and Robin chose the new hospital’s Imaging Department, explaining that it will serve many patients while also benefiting from advancements in technology and innovation. On a hard-hat tour of the construction site in Paramus, Tim inquired about the new hospital’s equipment sterilization area. His father had been a hospital field service technician for sterilizers, and some
of his earliest memories were of going to work with him. The space will now be named in his father’s honor. “While it may not be something most people think about, or even get to see, it’s a crucial area of a hospital,” Tim says. “When the Foundation came back to us with the idea of naming it for my father, it made this experience
so much more personal and meaningful for us.”

The couple, together since high school, have been married for over 40 years. “One of the most rewarding things we have done together is becoming engaged in philanthropy,” Robin says. They hope that their efforts inspire others to broaden their ideas on charitable giving. “We haven’t always been the ‘likeliest’ donors to certain causes, but we understand the impact philanthropy can have on crucial community resources, like the new hospital,” Tim says. “Our hope is to encourage donors at all levels to do the same.”