Donald Tynes Sr. was a man many remember for his generosity and dedication to bettering the lives of others. Whether he was supporting the arts at Morgan State University, delivering food to those in need with the Maryland Food Bank or serving more than 45 years as a board member for Maryland’s State Employees’ Credit Union 
(SECU), Tynes gave his all in every aspect of his life. Now, the team at the SECU MD Foundation has taken a page from Tynes’ book and donated a major gift to LifeBridge Health in his memory.
“In September 2022, I received a call from the SECU MD Foundation stating they wanted to make a gift that would benefit cancer care as a tribute to someone on their board,” shares Geannine Darby, director of major gifts and clinician engagement at LifeBridge Health. “We learned Donald Sr. was a legend there after serving as a board member for 47 years.” After achieving a major milestone of securing $5 billion in assets, the SECU MD Foundation wanted to donate $1 million to three charitable organizations that meant the world to Tynes.
“The SECU MD Foundation worked with Donald Sr.’s son to determine the organizations that would be chosen, and Sinai’s cancer program was selected in addition to Morgan State University and Maryland Food Bank,” shares Darby. “Donald Sr. had been diagnosed and treated as a patient at Sinai in March 2022, and then passed away in our inpatient hospice care, so the connection was personal.” The soon-to-be living room and work area in the Mandy and Dennis Weinman Cancer Building will be given by the SECU MD Foundation in memory of Tynes and will provide family members with a comfortable place to wait as their loved ones receive outpatient services like chemotherapy, radiation, exams, lab work and more.
With the groundbreaking this spring, the new cancer building aims to be ready for public use by January 2026, but the life and legacy of Donald Tynes Sr. will live forever in the hearts of those he served, as well as the families who find comfort in the spaces named in his memory. “It was a privilege to help the SECU MD Foundation make this gift possible,” shares Darby. “Mr. Tynes sounds like he was the kind of leader any organization would be proud to have their name associated with.”
Pictured Above: Donald Tynes Sr.
Pictured Below: A rendering of the living room and work area given by the SECU MD Foundation in memory of Donald Tynes Sr. in the new Mandy and Dennis Weinman Cancer Building.
