J. Fletcher Creamer Foundation Continues a Legacy of Giving To Hackensack University Medical Center

Sometimes the most generous donations of all come to HUMC from within, so to speak. That’s certainly true in the case of J. Fletcher Creamer, Jr., who holds down the dual posts of chairman of the HUMC Board of Governors and vice chairman of the HUMC Foundation Board of Trustees. He also spearheads the efforts of the J. Fletcher Creamer Foundation, which over the years has been one of the leading donors not only to HUMC, but also to a wide variety of other worthwhile charities and medical institutions.

The Creamer family’s story of note dates all the way back to 1923 when Mr. Creamer’s grandfather founded J. Fletcher Creamer & Son, which remains one of the leading construction firms in New Jersey. Mr. Creamer started laboring in the family business as a boy wielding a shovel during summers, and worked his way up from there to assume the post of president in 1982. Right about that time, his father — the company’s chairman and CEO — joined the HUMC Board of Governors. Mr. Creamer joined the board a decade or so later, and in early 2007 became chairman — a position he’ll hold until March 2010, at which time he’ll become chairman of the HUMC Foundation Board of Trustees.

“When they asked me to take over the position, I was elated,” Mr. Creamer said. “HUMC is really important to our family. And one thing I’ve learned as I’ve gotten older is how important it is to be able to help other people. Everyone here at HUMC does an unbelievable job. I’m proud to be a part of it.”

One of the principal milestones for the Creamer family occurred in the mid-1980s with the building and dedication of the cardiac wing of the medical center, named in honor of Mr. Creamer’s father. A few years later, Mr. Creamer’s younger brother was tragically murdered — a catastrophe that the family transformed into something of lasting worth with the opening of the Jeffrey M. Creamer Trauma Center at HUMC in 1994.

The Creamer Foundation continues to support HUMC and its various medical disciplines through the HUMC Foundation. All funds are generated by the success of J. Fletcher Creamer & Son, now entering its 86th year in business. Currently, much of the Creamer family philanthropy is focused on the construction of the new John Theurer Cancer Center, in support of HUMC’s Beyond Extraordinary campaign to raise $75 million.

“I believe that HUMC and its people are second to none,” Mr. Creamer said. “From the doctors to the nurses to the administrative staff and everyone else connected to the HUMC community, it’s a top-notch organization. It has kept growing and getting better over the years, and my family and I have been extremely proud to be a part of it.”