Aug 17, 2020 Suzanne and Steve Kalafer Match Gifts of $107,000 to RWJUH Somerset

Suzanne and Steve Kalafer, chairman emeritus of Somerset Health Care Foundation, member of RWJBarnabas Health’s Board of Trustees and chairman of Flemington Car and Truck Country Family of Brands and The Somerset Patriots, have made a $107,000 matching gift to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, in memory of Karen Siplak Hubert, a hospital volunteer and wife of Paul Hubert, chairman of Somerset Health Care Foundation’s Board of Trustees. The Kalafers’ gift is also made in honor of Frieda Ostrowsky, mother of Barry H. Ostrowsky, president and Chief Executive Officer of RWJBarnabas Health, who was a long-time volunteer at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, also an RWJBarnabas Health facility.

“Hospital volunteers truly make a tremendous difference for patients, families and visitors,” said Steve Kalafer. “Through this gift, we honor Karen and Frieda’s commitment to helping others and the impact they have made on their communities. We hope that their examples will inspire others to share their time and talents as hospital volunteers.”

In July, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset dedicated the Karen Siplak Hubert Reception Desk in the hospital’s main lobby. During the dedication, Barry Ostrowsky honored Karen Hubert and mentioned his mother, Frieda, and the importance of their contributions as volunteers. Hubert, formerly of Bridgewater, began volunteering at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset on May 28, 2008, first as a greeter in the lobby and then helping behind the reception desk every Tuesday afternoon. Over the course of her 11 years as a volunteer, she donated 1,636 hours of service.

After she passed away in December 2019, Karen’s husband, Paul, her son, Brandon, and family and friends donated more than $107,000 to Somerset Health Care Foundation in her memory.

Frieda Ostrowsky, of South Orange, volunteered at Saint Barnabas Medical Center from 1995 through 2017, logging more than 23,000 hours of service. She volunteered in the hospital’s Surgical Waiting Area and the Volunteer Services Department’s Dispatch Room.

For more information about Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset, visit www.rwjbh.org/somerset. To learn more about how you can support Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset, contact Somerset Health Care Foundation at 908-685-2885.