Yale New Haven Health System president, CEO and her husband receive award

Marna Borgstrom, and her husband, Eric,  on Monday, received the Alexis de Tocqueville Society Herbert H. Pearce Award, "honoring their generous support of the community through United Way contributions," the agency said in a release.

The Tocqueville Society honors United Way donors who give more than $10,000 annually, the release said.

"Not only are the Borgstroms personally generous but Marna has “created an environment of philanthropy” at Yale New Haven Health System, said Thomas Sansone, chairman of United Way’s Tocqueville Society, in presenting the award."

Marna Borgstrom is president and CEO of Yale New Haven Health System, and CEO of Yale-New Haven Hospital.

“Yale-New Haven Hospital is not going to do well if New Haven doesn’t do well. We are inextricably linked in so many ways,” she said, also in the release. 

She and her husband share the award, she said, with the hospital's leadership and employees who take an active interest in the community.

The couple was drawn to United Way, she said, also in the release, because while they have the resources to give, they rely on United Way’s expertise about the need in the community and “due diligence” in determining where donor money can have the greatest impact.

“I can’t imagine a better or easier way to give,” Marna said of donating to United Way.

"Yale-New Haven Hospital runs a robust United Way donor campaign among its employees, and workers have generously collected and donated thousands of supplies to area schools," the release said.

United Way President and CEO Jack Healy said, also in the release: That as United Way of Greater New Haven works to tackle some of the region’s most urgent problems, such as the education and income gaps residents struggle with here, members of the Tocqueville Society play an increasingly important role

“It has become a huge part of the United Way campaign,” he said of the support of the roughly 60 Tocqueville donors, and with the help of generous donors “we’re making progress” on crucial issues.

United Way has been recognizing donors with a Tocqueville Society award since 1998. In 2009, the award was renamed in honor of the late Herbert Pearce, a long-time United Way supporter, the release said. 

Previous United Way of Greater New Haven's Tocqueville Society Award recipients are:

2011 Ellen L. Tillotson and Frank M. Turner

2010 Andrew J. Eder and Charles Andriole

2009 Anne and Guido Calabresi

2008 Christine and Bruce Alexander

2007 Catherine C. and John J. Crawford

2006 Carol and Robert J. Lyons, Jr.

2005 Nancy and Hank Bartels

2004 Annie Garcia and Ben Kaplan

2003 Jean and William Graustein

2002 Toddie and Christopher Getman

2001 Roslyn and Jerome Meyer

2000  Shelley and Gordon Geballe

1999 Susan and Sumner McK. Crosby

1998 Michael McHugh and Herbert H. Pearce

Editor's note: All information in this post was contributed.