Matching gift doubles the impact of couple’s support for autism research

Elizabeth and Grover Lewis are members of the MCV Foundation’s Discovery Society, a group that unites people from the Williamsburg, Virginia, area to raise the profile of VCU Medical Center and  support its health care initiatives. In February, the couple made their eighth annual gift to the Discovery Society in support of the VCU School of Medicine’s Autism Current Fund. 

Grover, a Verizon retiree, had his gift matched by the company. 

“I reached out to the benefits office at Verizon, and they helped me request the matching gift funds,” Grover says. “In our case it basically doubles our gift, and it was all quite simple.”

“We’ve told many of our friends about matching gifts, and they didn’t know it was even an option,” Elizabeth says. “It’s a really important opportunity. The companies are offering an extra gift, and everyone who can should take advantage of that.” 

The Lewises have been connected to VCU Medical Center for decades. Their first child was born at MCV in 1965. Years later, when Grover was diagnosed with a lung condition, his physician in Williamsburg referred him to VCU for specialized care. He continues to travel from Williamsburg to receive care there. At VCU, he made connections that prompted him to get involved with the Discovery Society in 2016. 

The Lewises have an autistic granddaughter, so they decided to direct their gifts to autism research. They hope it will lead to a greater understanding of autism and new treatments for people who live with it. 

“They’re looking at autism to try to understand and deal with it better,” Grover says. “We give to this cause for our family. The fact that we can match that gift is a nice way that we are able to make additional funding available.”

See if your employer matches gifts using the matching gift search. Learn more about the MCV Foundation’s Discovery Society.