Raises $300 in lieu of getting birthday gifts
By Jennifer Parris
When Arlington resident Madeline Smith recently celebrated her 7th birthday, she gave back to the hospital that helped her little brother.
Jonah had surgery at Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center when he was just 3 days old. Madeline asked her friends and family to bring donations for Le Bonheur to her party instead of gifts. She collected $300, and the Peter Pan Children’s Fund will add another $100 to her donation.
Madeline, Jonah and their parents, Drew and Emily, presented their gift to Bernard, the hospital puppet. Liz Salton, development coordinator, presented Madeline with the Young Philanthropist Award and took the family on a tour of the hospital. Madeline saw the creative arts room, the in-house television stations Studio 8 and the Bunny Room, where patients receive a toy before going to surgery.
“Madeline is sweet girl who made a big difference at Le Bonheur by asking her friends and family to support a cause dear to her heart. Through the Le Bonheur Birthday Club, children learn about philanthropy while supporting a cause that directly benefits them. It’s an easy way to show kids how they can make a difference in their community,” said Salton.
Hosting a birthday or another party to benefit Le Bonheur is easy. To find out how, contact Liz Salton at Le Bonheur Foundation at 287-4440 or by e-mail at saltone@lebonheur.org.
Founded in 1952, Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center is the Mid-South’s first and only comprehensive pediatric medical facility. Every year Le Bonheur treats almost 140,000 children from 47 states and many countries. Le Bonheur is home to one of the nation’s 10 busiest pediatric emergency departments and hosts one of the largest pediatric surgical brain tumor programs.
Le Bonheur is building a new state-of-the art hospital. The $327 million facility is scheduled to open in 2010 and will double the space for patient care, research and teaching.
For information, call 287-6030 or visit lebonheur.org.
Jennifer Parris is communications specialist for Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center.
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2 comments:
wow - I can't help but think that those parents are doing something right. I hope I am so nlessed to have children one day that are so selfless and giving
We googled Madeline and this came up! Thanks for the nice words! She's a great kid, and makes it easy to be a good parent.
She wanted to do it again this year, but we kinda demanded that she get presents this year.
Thanks again.
Drew and Emily Smith
(with a blushing Madeline)
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