W. Rodman Ryan, CEO of Open Road Auto Group, is as passionate about selling cars as he is about his commitment as a trustee for the Foundation for Morristown Medical Center. A trustee since 2018, Ryan, along with his wife Dianne Ryan, recently gave $1 million, splitting their gift to support both the renovation and expansion of Goryeb Children’s Hospital, a project that was part of the Growing Forward Campaign, and the BD Diabetes Center for Children and Adolescents, also located at Goryeb Children’s Hospital.

The Growing Forward Campaign gift supported the establishment of the Ryan Family Pediatric Inpatient South Unit, creating eight additional private rooms for inpatient pediatric care. Combined with the 26-bed Vanech Family Pediatric Inpatient Unit, space for non-critical inpatient care increased to 34 beds, expanding at a time when patient volume continues to rise.

The gift toward the BD Diabetes Center for Children and Adolescents funded the production of educational videos to teach patients and families how to live fully with Type 1 diabetes. The gift was motivated by the care the Ryan’s grandson, Jack Morais, received for Type 1 diabetes under the care of Harold Starkman, MD, former director of the BD Diabetes Center.

The Ryans, residents of Far Hills, appreciate having this extraordinary care for their grandson so close to home. Morais is thriving because of it, playing quarterback as a freshman at the Morristown-Beard School, in Morristown, New Jersey. “My grandson is a dynamic kid and doing great,” Rod Ryan, 75, said. “There is no cure [for Type 1 diabetes] so the more inroads we can make through investing in programs, the better quality of life people living with diabetes can have.”

In the last few years, the Ryans have given multiple gifts to Morristown Medical Center, including $1,000 to the COVID-19 Support Fund in the spring of 2020. They also sponsored the Women’s Association for Morristown Medical Center’s 19th Mansion in May Designer Showhouse and Gardens, which was delayed due to COVID-19 and opened as the Splendor in September in the fall of 2020. Open Road Auto Group also recently announced their sponsorship of the Foundation for Morristown Medical Center Golf Classic to take place at Baltusrol Golf Club on October 25, 2021. For the past two years, Rod Ryan has also rallied various auto groups to name Goryeb Children’s Hospital as the beneficiary of funds raised during the Subaru ‘Share the Love’ campaign. Then he matched their collective donations for a total of $100,000.

Influencing his family members to do the same, Rod Ryan’s daughter, Jaimie Morais, and son-in-law, Michael Morais, president of Open Road Auto Group, recently gave $25,000 on behalf of the care Laura Morais, Michael Morais’ mother, received at the Carol G. Simon Cancer Center.

“Laura was treated so well and was so impressed with her care that my daughter and son-in-law wanted to show their appreciation,” Ryan said. Rod Ryan’s brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Wayne and Joan Vince, also donated to the hospital after having two grandchildren born at the hospital in 2020. “Our family feels strongly that the hospital is a piece of our community and an important piece of our life. Dianne and I are just getting started with our support and we hope to get our children and grandchildren more involved in the years to come.”

To learn more about supporting Goryeb Children’s Hospital, please contact Gerri Kling at 973-593-2414 or email f4mmc@atlantichealth.org.