Giving with Purpose: Investing in Our Caregivers

After a lifetime working in the telecommunications industry, Fred Salerno knows the importance of connection. He and his wife, Pat, grew up together in Queens, New York—meeting in their teens and spending a lifetime side by side.

Raised in middle-class households, the Salernos understand the value of humility and gratitude. In their hometown, they have supported the Inner City Scholarship Fund of the Archdiocese of New York for nearly 40 years. The organization serves disadvantaged areas of the community and has seen remarkable graduation success rates.

“We feel that we’ve been very, very fortunate,” says Fred. “You had to be lucky, too, to get to where we were able to give things back.”

The Salernos first became acquainted with Cleveland Clinic in 2019, when Fred served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Martin Health and was involved in the Martin Health integration with Cleveland Clinic. He later became a board member of Cleveland Clinic Florida.

It was during this time that Fred recognized something special about the culture at Cleveland Clinic.

“I don’t know of any organization that emphasizes the importance of their caregivers more than Cleveland Clinic,” he says.

When Fred and Pat decided to support Cleveland Clinic, they wanted their gift to reflect the organization’s commitment to its caregivers. Rather than accepting a traditional naming opportunity, they asked the hospital team to select a caregiver to honor.

“When you dedicate a space like this, putting a name of a stranger on the pharmacy doesn’t really celebrate the caregivers who work in this space day in and day out,” says Fred.

The Mary Smith Pharmacy at Cleveland Clinic Martin North Hospital's Robert and Carol Weissman Cancer Center will open in late 2026. The space will not only honor Smith, a longtime caregiver at Martin North Hospital, but will also stand as a reflection of the Salernos’ belief that compassion and support for caregivers is a defining strength of Cleveland Clinic’s culture.

When reflecting on being recognized as members of the Pyramid Legacy Society, Fred says, “It’s really the story of Cleveland Clinic and the people who work there—we’re just glad to be part of it.”