Honoring Loved Ones, Supporting Compassionate Care: Gilchrist’s Garden & Tribute Walls

In all of Gilchrist’s three care centers, special spaces have been created to honor the lives of loved ones while helping ensure others receive the compassionate care they need. These are Gilchrist’s Garden & Tribute Walls—beautifully designed areas where engraved plaques commemorate patients, families, and donors who have made a lasting impact.

Each plaque tells a story. A husband remembering his wife. A child honoring a parent. A family expressing gratitude for the care their loved one received. Together, these plaques create a powerful tapestry of remembrance, hope, and generosity.

For many families, donating to receive a plaque is deeply personal. It’s a way to keep a loved one’s memory alive in a place where they received care, or simply a place where their legacy can live on. Some families visit the walls regularly as a place of reflection and remembrance. Others bring new generations to see the name and share stories, continuing the bond for years to come.

Patti Santoni, Senior Director of Philanthropy at Gilchrist, reflects on what makes these Garden & Tribute Walls so meaningful: “Each name on these walls represents a life touched by Gilchrist and a family that chose to give back. It’s more than a donation—it’s a legacy of love and gratitude.”

Garden Walls are located in the peaceful gardens of all three care centers—Gilchrist Center Baltimore, Gilchrist Center Howard County, and Gilchrist Center Towson. Gilchrist Center Towson also offers an indoor Tribute Wall on its lower level. Tribute plaques can be dedicated to honor anyone who received care from Gilchrist, no matter where they were served—at home, in a senior living community, or in one of our centers.

Plaques for the Garden & Tribute Walls are available for contributions of $500 to $10,000, depending on size and placement. Every donation goes directly toward ensuring Gilchrist can continue providing the highest level of care to those who need it most. Donations are fully tax-deductible.

Why Give to Gilchrist?

When you give to Gilchrist, you help provide expert and loving care to individuals facing serious illness—regardless of their ability to pay. Your support funds programs that extend far beyond medical care, including grief counseling, geriatric care, music therapy, and child and family support services.

“What makes Gilchrist so unique is that we never turn anyone away,” says Shannon Wollman, Chief Philanthropy and Marketing Officer. “The Garden & Tribute Walls are a beautiful reminder of the community’s generosity, and every plaque helps ensure that care continues for the next family in need.”

As a nonprofit organization, Gilchrist relies on community support to fill the gap left by insurance coverage. Your donation directly improves the lives of patients and their families throughout Maryland.

To learn more about the Garden & Tribute Walls or to make a gift in honor or memory of someone special, visit https://gilchristcares.org/giving/walls.