For Norma Peltier, giving back was simply a way to pay it forward.
“My husband, Joe, and I always felt that if we are blessed, we should in turn give to others,” she once said.
Sharing her resources, her time and her ideas for the greater good of all, Norma’s caring fingerprints can be felt across the Fargo area. When it comes to health care, her philanthropic impact to Sanford Health and Fargo-area patients has been simply extraordinary.
Her generosity has fueled research and accelerating new treatment options for those with Parkinson’s disease and cancer thanks to endowments held in her name at the Sanford Health Foundation.
Her gifts to Sanford Health have brought peace and comfort to those who visit the Joe and Norma Peltier Chapel, a calming refuge lit by beautiful stained glass windows — a space inspired by the role faith has played in her life.
Her support has helped recognize, celebrate and connect active members of the military and veterans. Inspired by her husband’s US Army service, Norma’s gifts through the Sanford Health Foundation helped established the Veterans Club at the Sanford Medical Center in Fargo and recently launched the new Veterans Club inside our Broadway location — welcoming spaces for service members, veterans and their families to connect and reset. Her generosity has also provided the yarn for veteran prayer shawls that are gifted to critically ill veterans in our hospitals.
Norma’s gifts of time were equally inspiring. Since the early 1970s, she contributed more than 3,500 hours as a Sanford Health volunteer.
Prior to Norma’s passing in March 2024, we were grateful to celebrate one of her most beautiful charitable endeavors: a transformational gift for patient lodging. The Peltier Lodge will provide patients and families a home away from home while they receive treatment at the Sanford Roger Maris Cancer Center.
If you’re inspired by this story and want to support Fargo’s Sanford Health Foundation initiatives, giving to the Sanford Health Foundation will ensure that 100% of your donation will go to support patients and their families receiving care.
Give the gift of compassion to patients and families receiving care at Sanford Health facilities and to those finding healing in programs like the Norma Peltier Chapel.
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