Nearly 50 years ago, Grace Lucas, a registered nurse, gathered together a small group of public-spirited citizens from Fairfax County, Virginia, to discuss the need for a local hospital. From that small but promising beginning, the Inova Health System has grown into one of the leading health care providers in the Washington, D.C. area.

Inova’s story is an inspiring one, where creative individuals with visionary ideas – and ideals – rallied together, took risks, and made the investments needed to safeguard the health and well-being of their families, friends and neighbors. Although medical knowledge and technology have undergone a sea-change over the last half-century, Inova’s mission has remained the same: to provide superior and compassionate health care to all who pass through its doors.

Of course, in a dynamic, expanding region like Northern Virginia, the demand for quality health care services grows right along with the burgeoning population. And just as the need has grown, so too has the cost of providing top-flight medical care to all.

Enter the Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation.

Through a series of major grants, culminating most recently in its sponsorship of the fabulously successful Inova Health System Gala in May, 2006, the Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation has helped Inova meet this challenge. That glittering event, featuring special musical guests Tony Bennett and the Artie Shaw Orchestra, raised over $1,250,000 in contributions and pledges. That assistance, together with support provided directly by the Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation, will help ensure that Inova has the financial resources needed to provide the national capital region with the finest in 21st Century health care services.