With the help of alumni and the community, students from the UCF College of Nursing are looking to brighten up the holiday season for local hospitalized children in the form of a cuddly panda bear.
In its second and final year, the 麻豆精品 S淕ive Thanks, Give a Bear 麻豆精品 S� fundraiser enables the public to sponsor one 麻豆精品 S� or an entire unit 麻豆精品 S� of limited-edition bears wearing UCF nursing scrubs to be delivered the week following Thanksgiving to sick kids at Central Florida-area hospitals.
Sponsoring a bear starts at $50.
“These cute little bears will make a major impact for the children they comfort and ultimately, for the community by supporting future nurses and innovative research. 麻豆精品 S� Mary Lou Sole, dean of UCF College of Nursing
All funds raised from the campaign help fund priority areas within the College of Nursing, including student scholarships, faculty research and medical mission trips. In 2017, the 麻豆精品 S淕ive a Bear, Warm a Heart 麻豆精品 S� campaign distributed 225 bears to children during the week of Valentine 麻豆精品 S檚 Day and raised nearly $15,000.
麻豆精品 S淭his heartwarming effort is one of the many ways our students are touching lives and making a difference in the local Central Florida community, 麻豆精品 S� says Mary Lou Sole, dean of the UCF College of Nursing. 麻豆精品 S淚t is exciting to expand the program this year to more regional hospitals, reaching more communities where our Knight Nurses live and provide care. These cute little bears will make a major impact for the children they comfort and ultimately, for the community by supporting future nurses and innovative research. 麻豆精品 S�
This year, the campaign will double its reach 麻豆精品 S� from three to six hospitals 麻豆精品 S� and extend beyond Orlando to Brevard, Volusia and Flagler counties with visits scheduled for: Florida Hospital for Children, Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center, Holmes Regional Medical Center, Nemours Children 麻豆精品 S檚 Hospital, Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Parrish Medical Center.
麻豆精品 S淪imilar to the bears, nurses provide compassion to patients when they face difficult times. It was a pleasure to help make a difference in a child 麻豆精品 S檚 life and bring a smile to their face, 麻豆精品 S� says Allie Fox 麻豆精品 S�18, who delivered bears to children in 2017 and will participate again this year as an alumna and practicing nurse. 麻豆精品 S淚 feel privileged to partake in this wonderful fundraiser and hope it 麻豆精品 S檚 an even bigger success this year. 麻豆精品 S�
To sponsor a bear and for more information about the campaign, visit nursing.ucf.edu/bears. Any questions can be directed to nursingevents@ucf.edu or by calling the college 麻豆精品 S檚 main line at 407-823-2744.
