Mrs. Kutsenkow

Mrs. Kutsenkow says she supports St. Clair Hospital in part because she appreciates what it means to the people of the region. "St. Clair is our hospital," she says. "It has wonderful doctors and facilities. We are fortunate to have a hospital of this caliber so close to home. We are attached to St. Clair and its physicians. With its reputation for quality, along with its new clinical relationship with Mayo Clinic, St. Clair continues to grow by attracting new doctors and adding new services, all to serve the people of the Pittsburgh area."

It is also important to Mrs. Kutsenkow to carry on her husband's legacy, and so she donates to St. Clair in his memory. Dr. Mike was a general practitioner, but he was also a rare breed of physician who personified the very best qualities of "the good doctor." In the tradition of the times, Dr. Mike opened a solo practice, in Carnegie, where he cared for patients of all ages for 55 years. A true family doctor, he did it all: obstetrics, pediatrics, geriatrics, internal medicine and minor surgery. He delivered thousands of babies and he made house calls, long after that practice had become obsolete.

In addition to supporting St. Clair Hospital, the Kutsenkows have long been dedicated donors to the arts community in Pittsburgh, and Mrs. Kutsenkow continues that tradition to this day. She supports the Pittsburgh Opera, Civic Light Opera, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and the Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall in Carnegie.

She encourages everyone to find an organization that enriches their interests and begin supporting it, as a donor or a volunteer. "It's amazing how easily one can become entrenched in the volunteer corps and in the organization itself. It can be invigorating and exciting, and it makes the community a better place."

St. Clair Hospital is a better place due to the generosity of donors like Mrs. Kutsenkow, who, among other generous donations, provides a weeklong stay at a condo in the Cayman Islands to be auctioned to the highest bidder at St. Clair's annual Summer Swing gala.

"St. Clair Hospital is the best choice," she says. "The community-at-large can feel secure in knowing that we have the best medical facility right here in our backyard, and I encourage everyone to support St. Clair."