Gift of good health: Original benefactor donates $125,000 to wellness center for 25th anniversary

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Nan Cameron presented UPMC’s Wilfred R. Cameron Wellness Center with a $125,000 donation to mark the 25th anniversary of the wellness center.

Courtesy of UPMC Washington

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UPMC leaders and others who played a role in UPMC’s Wilfred R. Cameron Wellness Center took part in an anniversary celebration for the center.

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Virginia Rockwell, right, one of the original members of the Wilfred R. Cameron Wellness Center, with Karen Furman, a membership manager at the wellness center, took part in Wednesday’s celebration at the Wilfred R. Cameron Wellness Center.

Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter

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Brook Ward, president of UPMC Washington and UPMC Greene, shares a toast with Nan Cameron and Debbie Roytas, executive director of Wilfred R. Cameron Wellness Center on Wednesday.

Courtesy of UPMC Washington

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Wilfred R. Cameron Wellness Center marked its 25th anniversary on Wednesday with a celebration that included food, health activities, and a donation from 99-year-old philanthropist Nan Cameron.

The wellness center opened on Oct. 1, 2000, bolstered by a $5 million donation from the late Wilfred R. Cameron and his wife, Nan Camerson, longtime Washington business and community leaders.

“I wish you a long life and good health,” said Nan Cameron, a wispy-thin, energetic woman, to the crowd that gathered in the lobby of the wellness center. The attendees included some of the center’s original members – 58 still enjoy the center’s facilities and programs – and current members, along with community members and UPMC leaders.

Cameron proudly announced that current membership is 4,872 – the newest member signed up prior to the event – up from the original 1,000.

Cameron presented the Wellness Center with a $125,000 donation, a thank-you to the community that supported the family’s business, Cameron Coca-Cola, for more than 100 years.

The funds will be used to refresh the wellness center’s locker rooms and main entrance restrooms.

“The Camerons believed in giving back to the people who helped their business thrive,” said Brook Ward, president of UPMC Washington and UPMC Greene. “Their gift created a space where health and wellness are accessible to everyone in our region.”

The Camerons’ gift to launch the wellness center remains the largest single contribution in the Washington Hospital Foundation’s history.

The wellness center offers fitness, nutrition, group exercise, yoga, and other services designed to help people improve their health.

Nan Cameron credits her longevity to staying active. She mows four to six acres of the family’s 40-acre farm in South Strabane Township.

“This contribution continues our family’s legacy of giving back,” said Cameron. “It’s about making sure the center remains a welcoming and supportive space for everyone in our community.”

The renovations will begin later this year.