THOMASVILLE — Archbold officials are thankful from the bottom of their hearts for this year’s blessings, including those that go straight to the heart like the large gift that will pump life into the enhancement of cardiac and vascular health services for the south Georgia- north Florida region.

Ken B. Beverly, Archbold Medical Center president, revealed that R. Charles Loudermilk Sr., owner of Woodhaven Plantation in Coolidge, has made a $3 million pledge to fund a new cardiac and vascular treatment, screening and diagnostic facility, as well as an expanded cardiac rehabilitation center being built as part of a major construction project. The project will begin soon on Archbold’s Thomasville campus.

“During the Thanksgiving season, most of us will take a few moments to reflect on many things we have to be thankful for,” Beverly said. “On behalf of all those patients who will benefit from his generosity, we at Archbold are thankful that Charlie Loudermilk recently made such a reflection and counted among his blessings the ready accessibility to outstanding health-care facilities in south Georgia and north Florida.”

Loudermilk is an Atlanta businessman, entrepreneur and part-time Thomas County resident. He said the gift fulfills a longtime desire to make a significant humanitarian gift to his adopted hometown. According to Beverly, the pledge is the largest single gift to the Archbold organization by any individual outside the Archbold family.

Loudermilk founded Aaron Rents Inc. in 1955. He led the company to the position of leadership in rental, lease ownership and specialty retailing of residential and office furniture, consumer electronics and home appliances. Aaron Rents now consists of more than 800 company-operated and franchised stores in 43 states and Puerto Rico, as well as MacTavish Furniture Industries in Coolidge and Cairo. MacTavish is the manufacturing division that produces the upholstered furniture for Aaron Rents stores. The company went public in 1982.

“Certainly, my family and I have been blessed. For some time, I have been wanting to make a sizeable contribution to the Thomasville area, and I know of no better place to do that than at Archbold Memorial Hospital,” Loudermilk said. “The medical center is extremely well managed and serves the health-care needs of all segments of the region equally, relieving considerable pain and suffering and saving countless lives every year.”

A spring groundbreaking is expected and the project is estimated to cost in excess of $14.3 million. The East Tower project will provide an additional 90,000 square feet of patient care space at John D. Archbold Memorial Hospital.

“I am hopeful that this lead gift will inspire others to make significant philanthropic gifts to the Archbold Foundation to help complete this important expansion project,” Loudermilk continued.

Along with an area honoring Loudermilk’s donation, there will be a new coronary critical care unit, inpatient telemetry rooms, an education and medical conference center and a new inpatient nephrology unit.

Beverly continued to say a long history of community support like that demonstrated by Loudermilk was key to the not-for-profit hospital’s ability to provide high quality, patient-focused care to all the citizens of the area, regardless of their ability to pay.

“Over the past 78 years, in the spirit of Jack Archbold’s generosity, gifts from community-minded individuals have kept Archbold on the forefront of medical advances and brought unequalled state-of-the-art health-care technologies to this rural region,” Beverly said. “We count that support among our blessings every day, but particularly now during the Thanksgiving holiday season.”

For more information on Archbold’s East Tower project, contact the Archbold Foundation at (229) 228-8047.



Reporter Sandi Olson can be reached at sandireporter@yahoo.com.