For scientist and entrepreneur, Jerry Paros, and his wife, Linda, an interior designer and devoted volunteer with EvergreenHealth Hospice, philanthropy is an endeavor of both heart and mind.
The family also has a long history of giving to EvergreenHealth. Jerry and Linda said it’s a way to care for their East King County community.
“We want to share our business success with the larger community,” said Jerry, who holds more than 50 patents in the field of geophysical measurements. “Once you’ve taken care of your immediate and extended family and the employees in your business, then you look to help our society, and the best way to do that is through philanthropy.”
The Paros family visited EvergreenHealth for care occasionally when their children were young, but their commitment to the hospital began in earnest in 1993, when Jerry’s mother, Betty Paros, received end-of-life care at the Gene and Irene Wockner Hospice Care Center in Kirkland.
The experience was so meaningful for Linda that she has volunteered with EvergreenHealth Hospice Care for more than 30 years. The Paros family is also longtime friends and neighbors of past EvergreenHealth CEO, Jeff Tomlin, MD, giving them even greater insight into the importance of keeping EvergreenHealth independent and community owned.
“I think it’s important to have a tight tie between the services that you can get and your medical needs” Jerry said. “And you can’t get any more direct than being associated with an independent and community owned center like EvergreenHealth.”
Strategic giving for maximum impact
Whenever possible, Jerry and Linda try to work with the organizations they support to find creative ways to leverage their giving. Jerry estimates that most of their gifts have been matched upwards of 60-80% by other donors, some of them major philanthropic institutions with the power to bring transformative change to an organization or cause.
They’ve participated in this strategy at EvergreenHealth by working with our gift officers to use their seed money to cultivate matching gifts and inspire even greater giving among our partners.
“It shows that everybody has some skin in the game and they’re willing to contribute,” Jerry said of the use of matching funds. “And you can get an avalanche effect of giving.”
Pairing a heart for hospice and a passion for technology
The partnership with the Paros family has allowed EvergreenHealth Foundation make investments that preserve access to essential programs and grow the capacity and capability of the hospital.
For example, in 2025, Jerry and Linda split a major gift in two—giving half to EvergreenHealth Hospice Care and the other half to support the acquisition of two new MRI machines. Jerry said, “The imagining equipment is needed for the medical team to help them do their job. Hospice care meets a community need.”
Jerry and Linda Paros have two children, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. We are grateful for their partnership and commitment to working together to help every gift go further for EvergreenHealth patients.