(Chillicothe) – The Chillicothe Christmas Church Walk committee is thanking the community, churches, and event sponsors for their support of the inaugural Walk that took place in December.
Prior to the event, the committee decided that any funds raised would go towards supporting the Adena Health Foundation’s “Women’s & Children’s Fund.” The committee is excited to share that the event raised $2,000 which has been given to this fund to assist the community.
“We are very excited that so many in the community supported the event, and it was so well received in our first year,” stated Charles Frazier, chairman of the committee. “We had established a goal of raising $1,500 for the Women’s & Children’s Fund in the beginning, and we’re thrilled to have achieved and surpassed that goal.”
The Committee is currently working on plans to host the event again in 2022. For more information on future Chillicothe Christmas Church Walks, please visit the event’s Facebook page.
(Chillicothe) – The holiday season is often a favorite time of year for those able to wrap themselves in its comfort, warmth and joy.
For those with more limited means, however, the season also brings with it the return of bitter cold temperatures that make the warmth enjoyed by so many very hard to come by.
The Adena Health Foundation, in conjunction with the physicians, advanced practice providers and other caregivers throughout Adena Health System, recognizes the need that exists in our schools and communities and for roughly the last dozen years have sought to do something about it through the Coats for Kids program. Recently, more than 1,000 coats purchased and then donated by Adena caregivers were delivered to school districts across the region that had identified students in need of a winter coat.
“I cannot even explain our need for this kind of stuff in our district,” said a guidance counselor at one of the schools where some of the coats were delivered. “Your staff is so appreciated for doing this outreach, I’m sure it’s a ton of work but it’s so needed. When students need coats, it’s a true need, and some of our population does without and we work extra hard just to feed them and get their basic needs covered. Thank you so much.”
In the lead-up to the holiday season, the Health Foundation asks for lists from several area schools of coat sizes and quantities needed for those facing the most difficult financial circumstances within their districts. Students supported by the program are identified by teachers, principals, bus drivers and others who may know of a family’s financial situation or notice that a child may not have proper clothing to ward off the cold.
The Health Foundation then asks Health System employees interested in participating to purchase at least one new coat for students on the list. The coats are collected, prepared and then delivered to the individual school districts for distribution.
They are welcomed with excitement. Megan Miller, a Caregiver Relationship Analyst with Adena, noted that a staff member at Chillicothe Primary School told her, “Coat day is the best day of the year” while another person assisting in the distribution at the school suggested it may be better than Christmas for some. At Piketon High School, Miller added, a parent had called just that morning asking about the coats, while some staff members in Waverly were surprised at the amount of coats piled in the van.
“All in all, it was a wonderful morning filled with tons of smiles,” Miller said, a sentiment shared by several who helped with the deliveries.
Some of the stories of students shared with Adena from past program years clearly show the difference a warm coat can have on a child.
Take, for instance, one little girl who was so excited to receive her coat that she said she would sleep in it, thus allowing her brother to use the blanket that night. Or the response of a 16-year-old girl who cried when receiving her coat, saying nobody had ever bought her anything that nice. Or another instance in which children wore their new coats at recess in unseasonably warm weather because they were so excited to receive them.
Adena’s original participation in the coat drive started as a community project for Nurses Week under the oversight of Sharon Wills and involved slightly less than 300 coats. Over the years, the Health Foundation has expanded its outreach to an increasing number of area schools to the point that following this year’s coat drive, it is estimated that more than 13,000 children will have received coats from Health System employees since the program’s inception.
“It is a project I have done or been a part of for more years than I can remember and one of the most rewarding projects I do,” said Robin Berno, Health Foundation Director of Major Giving. “Giving these kids hope and showing them the love of strangers warms my heart.
“I have had our own caregivers tell me they give and buy coats because they or their children were once recipients of a coat or coats and they want to give back. I always say these kids will pay it forward one day and, when I hear stories like that, I know we are doing the right thing.”
Coats for Kids marks just one of many contributions made by the Adena Health Foundation in its commitment to improve the quality of life in the communities it serves. In addition to receiving contributions from generous donors in the community, funding to meet those needs is also provided by Adena Health System employees during an annual caregiver fundraising campaign conducted every spring. Funds from that campaign not only help in the community, but also provide additional resources to enhance patient care and meet emergency needs of Health System caregivers.
Adena Health System employees and the Adena Health Foundation are happy to provide their warm embrace to students who will benefit from this year’s Coats for Kids campaign, and wish everyone a cozy and joyous holiday season.
For more on how you can help the Adena Health Foundation, email foundation@adena.org or call 740-779-7528.
(Greenfield) – They say a bad day on the golf course is better than a good day in the office.
You can put that theory to the test, make some new friends and, most importantly, help Adena Health System further enhance care to the communities it serves by forming a team to play in or becoming a sponsor of Adena Health Foundation’s 2021 Scioto Valley Golf Classic.
The classic, taking place Friday, September 24, at Crown Hill Golf Club in Williamsport, Ohio, will be an 18-hole scrambles format with a 10 a.m. shotgun start. Proceeds from this year’s classic will benefit the Adena Greenfield Expansion Project supporting construction of a new 8,500-square-foot medical office building attached to Adena Greenfield Medical Center.
The tournament entry fee is $125 per player or $500 per four-person team, which will include greens fees, cart, a light breakfast, lunch, two drink tickets and a raffle ticket per golfer and some swag.
For those who may wish to support the event and Adena Greenfield Medical Center expansion in another way, several sponsorship levels are available to consider. Depending on sponsorship level, available benefits include such things as listings of company information on sponsorship banners, complimentary entries into the event, raffle tickets and/or company name on a hole or tee sign.
For more information about the event, to register a team or inquire about sponsorships, contact the Adena Health Foundation at 740-542-4483, email rberno@adena.org or visit Adena.org/golf2021.
Over the next five years, the new medical office building is expected to bolster patient access to specialty care, increase available healthcare provider days and allow for future service growth within the hospital through the repurposing of space. Other benefits include bringing all AGMC hospital services under one roof, improving patient and visitor parking options, providing a more efficient layout for patients that decreases wait times and several others.
The project also will allow for an expansion of patient specialty services for residents of Greenfield and surrounding areas, enhancing Adena’s ability to provide quality care and a heightened patient experience closer to home.
(CHILLICOTHE) — A virtual challenge to raise funds has been issued through the Adena Health Foundation, in conjunction with Adena Sports Medicine. The community is invited to take part in the IM-PAC Virtual Challenge (I Matter-Personal Activity Challenge), an effort to keep you and your family members busy all summer long.
The fundraiser is for the annual Adena Athlete of the Year scholarships awarded by the Heath System to local senior high school athletes, will take the place of the Paint Creek Palooza fundraising event that was held for three years prior to COVID-19’s arrival last year.
The virtual challenge is going on now through September 10th, with registration available through July 5th. Your registration is guided by a smartphone application that participants will receive a link to after registering. The app provides information on 14 activities designed to improve body, mind and soul. Included among them are such things as visiting the Hopewell mound sites or other National Historic Parks, participating in an outdoor fitness activity, playing an outdoor game, completing a fitness trail at a park or other outdoor fitness area, volunteering in some capacity, enjoying an evening campfire and several others.
To take part, an individual scholarship donation of $30 per person is required, although donations of $50, $100 or other custom amounts will be accepted. Any family or team of up to four participants at $100 each will receive a medal as a token of completion. Incentive prizes are being planned in several categories, as well as other giveaways.
More than a dozen local activities are suggested for the challenge, although they are not mandatory and can be done from any location that meets the challenge. Participants do not need to be local.
For more information and to enter the challenge, go to this link. CLICK HERE:
