LMH Health Foundation honors those who support community healthcare
LMH Health Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of the 19th annual Elizabeth Watkins Community Caring Award. The Watkins Award celebrates people and organizations who have provided significant service to LMH Health and community healthcare.
Honorees are community members Dr. Jon and Barb Heeb; Harry and Cindy Herington; Dick and Sue Himes; Prakash and Cathy Shenoy; and Cindy Yulich. Information on each honoree is included below.
Dr. Jon and Barb Heeb
Dr. Jon and Barb Heeb
Dr. Jon and Barb Heeb both grew up in Lawrence and have always felt deeply connected to the community and to LMH Health.
Barb’s mother, Sue Givens, spent her entire career as a registered nurse on LMH’s Mother/Baby unit. Dr. Heeb has been a urologist at LMH for 28 years and has taken on many leadership roles with the medical staff, including serving as Chief of Staff.
“And all of our extended family have, at one time or another, received excellent care here,” Dr. Heeb said. “A big reason patients have such positive experiences at LMH Health is because of the support our donors provide. Donors feel good and experience such joy when they can are in a position to give and improve healthcare for everyone.”
Both Dr. Heeb and Barb have served on the LMH Health Foundation Board of Directors, along with many other community organizations and civic groups.
Harry and Cindy Herington
Harry and Cindy Herington
Harry and Cindy Herington relocated to Lawrence in 1990 so that Harry could attend the University of Kansas School of Law. The couple quickly fell in love with the community and felt it would be a great place to raise their family.
Philanthropy is a part of their DNA. Over the past 35 years, the Herington’s have been quick to support numerous nonprofits within our community, including the Boys & Girls Club, Blue Santa, O’Connell Children’s Shelter and many others.
When they learned of LMH Health’s desire to expand the Heart Center, they stepped forward to help. Heart disease touches all of us. It is the leading cause of death for men and women, with one person dying every 33 seconds from cardiovascular disease. Harry & Cindy have lost both family and friends to this preventable disease and believe this expansion of critical health care is vital for the Lawrence community.
Dick and Sue Himes
Dick and Sue Himes
Dick and Sue Himes, with their 2-year-old son, came to Lawrence in 1963 when Dick accepted a position as professor of biochemistry at the University of Kansas. The family welcomed a daughter later that same year and celebrated the birth of another daughter in 1966, both at LMH.
Aside from a quick overnight stay when Dick fell down the stairs while trying to answer a middle-of-the-night phone call, they have been fortunate not to need LMH’s services. But they have always considered it an excellent and necessary institution worthy of their support.
In addition to being a homemaker, Sue volunteered with many organizations in Lawrence including League of Women Voters, Penn House, United Way and CASA, and was a tax preparer for the AARP Tax-Aide program for 30 years. She also volunteered to drive patients in need of radiation treatment to then University of Kansas Medical Center before LMH started its own program in 2001.
Dick retired as professor emeritus nearly 20 years ago and also volunteered to prepare taxes for the AARP Tax-Aide program. He also dedicated many hours over the years with the Trinity Interfaith Food Pantry, as well.
Prakash and Cathy Shenoy
Prakash and Cathy Shenoy
Cathy Shenoy was invited to join the LMH Health Foundation Board by the late LaVerne Epp, who served LMH and the Lawrence community for many years. “It was impossible to say no to LaVerne—he inspired so many of us,” Cathy said.
Through his invitation, she served on the Foundation Board for many years, including roles as Treasurer, Executive Committee member, and Chair of the Finance Committee. During that time, she saw firsthand the incredible work of the people caring for our community and learned about the real financial challenges a community hospital faces while serving everyone in Lawrence and Douglas County.
Cathy and her husband, Prakash, believe strongly in supporting a hospital that cares for everyone, no matter their circumstances. Their youngest daughter, Chandra, was born at LMH in 1982, and they’re grateful for the role LMH has played in their family’s life.
“We want to live in a community that provides the best medical care for everyone,” Cathy said. Over the years, they’ve supported several initiatives, including the LMH Health Cancer Center expansion, the Help & Healing Fund, LMH Health West Campus, and patient-centered technology. Their support of innovations like the MAKO orthopedic surgical robot has helped transform patient care.
Prakash moved to Lawrence in 1978 to join the University of Kansas School of Business faculty. He served as the Ronald G. Harper Distinguished Professor of Artificial Intelligence from 1994 until retiring in August 2023. He and Cathy met in his first KU class in 1978 and married in 1981.
Cindy Yulich
Cindy Yulich
Cindy Yulich, a retired Lawrence banker, served on both the LMH Health Board of Trustees and the LMH Health Foundation Board of Directors during some major times of growth and change — including the opening of LMH Health West, the COVID pandemic, and the early planning for the expansion and renovation of the LMH Health Cancer Center. She described her time on both boards as meaningful and incredibly important.
“As board members, our job is to make the best decisions for LMH Health and to really think about the people those decisions affect,” said Cindy. “Hundreds of thousands of people... That’s a big responsibility.”
Beyond her service to LMH Health and the Foundation, Cindy also served on the Lawrence School Board, was a founding board member for the Dwayne Peaslee Technical Training Center, chaired the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce, and contributed to several other civic groups and organizations focused on strengthening the community.
Still, some of the work closest to her heart was the time she and her husband, Mitch, spent supporting Boy Scout Troop 53, where their sons Brett and Jordan participated. Today, Cindy and Mitch are proud grandparents to Brynlee and big brother Owen, son of Jordan and his wife, Kristi.
