In recent years, many people have lamented that raising money for big public projects in Des Moines just isn’t as easy as it used to be. Money, power and decision-making, they argue, have been leaving the state as Central Iowa companies get purchased by outsiders.

We’ve seen enough local giving recently, however, to make us skeptical of that theory. Last week’s $15 million pledge from the Michael R. Myers family to Iowa Health-Des Moines for a new hospital in West Des Moines further proves that reports of the death of philanthropy in this city have been greatly exaggerated.

Last fall’s United Way of Central Iowa fund-raising campaign was the most successful in history. The Meredith and Blank families has given several million dollars to the new Science Center of Iowa. Private money continues to flow to the Des Moines Public Library.

Venture Capitalist John Pappajohn is poised to build a modern education center downtown. On the corporate side, Principal Financial Group Inc. has promised $10 million to revitalize the Des Moines riverfront. The list goes on.

Iowa Health-Des Moines, too, has long been on the receiving end of private generosity. The Blank family provided much of the funding for Blank Children’s Hospital. Then there is the John Stoddard Cancer Center at Iowa Methodist Medical Center.

One of the more interesting aspects to the Myers’ pledge is that Iowa Health-Des Moines really doesn’t need the money. Indeed, the hospital group, which is made up of Iowa Lutheran Hospital, Iowa Methodist and Blank, could foot the projected $83 million bill on its own.

That said, Iowa Health-Des Moines Foundation Director Dennis Linderbaum believes that more large gifts to the hospital are possible. The hospital group recently completed a study that concluded it could raise $25 million from the private sector, including the naming rights that the Myers family purchased.

Why the optimism? Simply put, the survey showed that some people think a West Des Moines hospital is a good idea and that those people are willing to back their beliefs with cash.

With near daily reports about teachers and police officers being let go and street lights turned off, many in the community believe that Iowa’s economic sky is falling. That just isn’t the case. What is happening, however, is that the private sector is increasingly stepping in to support various community-oriented projects.

We don’t know if Des Moines’ western suburbs will be better off with a big new hospital, but we do know that our city is made a nicer place to live by active citizens like the Myers family who want to give back.