Building on legacy of care
For matriarch of the Love family, Judy Love, not much will stand in her way when it comes to her dedication to making a difference in the community. Not even a global pandemic. Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City started its campaign for a massive new women’s center in December 2019, a few months before the beginning of the pandemic. Most involved had no idea what was coming.
At the time, Love was on the Mercy Health Foundation board and believed the organization had the ability to raise the funds to bring an innovative and technologically advanced women’s center to the Oklahoma City metro. Her and late husband Tom Love gave a $10 million lead donation to kick off the project, and in partnership with co-chair and former state first lady Cathy Keating, they helped raise more than $30 million from Oklahoma families and businesses. The facility is called the Love Family Women’s Center and honors four generations of the family.
“Mom and Cathy were very involved in co-chairing a silent campaign to raise funds for this women’s center,” explained Jenny Love Meyer, Judy’s daughter and chief culture officer of Love’s. “Trying to raise $40 million during normal times would have been a lofty goal, but COVID changed a lot and only three months into the campaign. We are very proud of them for dedicating themselves to raising an historic amount of money during a time of economic uncertainly and amid a global pandemic.”
The impressive new Love Family Women’s Center is dedicated to providing advanced medicine and exceptional care for Oklahoma women. The new center is a 175,000-square-foot, four-story building on the Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City campus and has 30 patient rooms to accommodate the significant increase in child births. Over the last 10 years, the hospital has experienced a 34 percent increase in childbirths, which is nearly 4,000 births each year. The women’s center will increase the hospital’s delivery capacity by 40 percent.
According to Love Meyer, just like the Love family, Mercy’s roots run deep in Oklahoma, which is another reason the family decided to support the project. The facility’s expanded capacity and innovative technology will have a lifelong impact on the community.
“Our family’s roots run deep in Oklahoma and so does Mercy’s roots with the Sisters of Mercy and their commitment to serving Oklahomans. This project builds on both legacies and reinforces our standard of supporting the communities in which we live and work. As the only remaining family-owned and operated travel stop company in the industry, it’s wonderful this center is opening during our 60th anniversary as we look to investing in and supporting future generations.”