Eskenazi Health lands $10M gift from Lilly Endowment for internships to college students with physical disabilities

Eskenazi Health has landed a $10 million gift from the Lilly Endowment that will fund a program that provides internships for college students with physical disabilities.

The two Indianapolis-based organizations announced the gift on Monday. They said the money will go to the Gregory S. Fehribach Center at Eskenazi Health, named after an Indianapolis attorney who is a champion for equal rights.

Since its inception in 2013, the Fehribach Center has provided 228 students from 42 colleges and universities internships with 46 employer partners, beginning with one Ball State University intern placed at Wishard Hospital (the forerunner to Eskenazi). It has also begun research and outreach efforts to advance accessibility throughout the nation.

The gift is structured to provide $8 million immediately to Eskenazi, followed by a $2 million match challenge, meaning that if Eskenazi can raise $2 million from other sources, the endowment would match that dollar for dollar.

“So ultimately it could be a gift worth a total of $12 million if we can get the community to step forward and do that,” Ernest Vargo, president and CEO of the Eskenazi Health Foundation, told IBJ.

The gift will fund the center’s operations  for the next five years and will also create an endowment for future funding.

“The main thing we do at the Fehribach Center is recruit college students with some form of a physical disability for paid internships in fields related to their major,” said Larry Markle, the center’s director.

Markle previously served for more than 15 years as director of disability services at Ball State University. Fehribach and Markle forged a partnership with Eskenazi Health 13 years ago to match disabled college students with paid internships.

Christia Hicks, chief human resources officer at Eskenazi Health, has been a long-time supporter of the program.

“Every summer the Fehribach Center interns make an indelible impact on so many departments at Eskenazi Health and at our partner organizations across central Indiana,” she said in written remarks. “We have the same expectations of our interns as we would for any employee, and they repeatedly rise to the challenge. Many have returned for second and third internships. We’ve also hired interns for full-time positions. We are excited that Lilly Endowment is investing in the advancement of this incredible program and in its gifted participants.”

In addition to internships at Eskenazi, the program has funded summer internships at major Indianapolis employers, including drugmaker Eli Lilly and Co., diesel-engine maker Cummins Inc., law firm Ice Miller LLP and the Indiana Pacers.

Last year, 63 students from 23 colleges and universities participated in 67 paid internships facilitated by the Fehribach Center

The funding will help expand the program’s footprint across the Midwest, as the Fehribach Center brings other employers into the program.

The center is seen as a booster for college students with physical disabilities, from vision and hearing loss to mobility and orthopedic issues. They are likely to encounter numerous barriers daily, and less than half of them go on to work full-time after they graduate, so internships are seen as key.

“Internships are critical for any college student, and if you miss out on the internship, that’s certainly going to hinder your ability to find a good job after graduation,” Markle said.

Vargo praised the Lilly Endowment for the large gift.

“We’re thrilled for the Lilly Endowment stepping up and doing this,” he said, “and really believing in the program, and the opportunities that we’re seeing for these students to really thrive.”