On the Tuesday after Thanksgiving in the United States, people around the globe begin the season of giving by supporting causes and organizations they believe in. Over the last 11 years, billions of dollars have been put to work building better communities.

Philanthropy has been at the heart of Mayo Clinic from the very beginning. We trace our roots back to the agreement between Dr. William Worrall Mayo and Mother Alfred of the Sisters of St. Francis that she and her order of nuns would raise money to build a new hospital in Rochester, Minnesota, if he would agree to run it.

Their handshake led to the construction of St. Mary’s Hospital, the forerunner of Mayo Clinic.

Mayo Clinic has become the world’s top hospital, the most trusted name in health care, and a pioneer in harnessing the most advanced technology, approaches, and research tools for the benefit of our patients and the global medical community. Now we are pursuing a bold, transformational vision for the future of healthcare. Mayo Clinic is uniquely equipped to turn your GivingTuesday gift into progress that benefits patients today and for years to come.

Today, millions of patients and families come to Mayo Clinic seeking answers to some of the toughest questions in medicine. Hundreds of doctors and researchers are conducting thousands of clinical trials of innovative new drugs, therapies and techniques. And other experts, from software engineers and data analysts, to counselors, therapists, nutritionists, and leaders in countless other fields, are all working together in a shared effort to take what’s best about Mayo Clinic and share it with the world.

And just like in 1883, generous benefactors are at the center of this effort. The things that happen at Mayo Clinic — the breakthroughs we make, the answers we find, the better approaches we pioneer — impact not only our own patients, but people all over the world who are looking to us for answers.