“We are excited to be able to use the party as a vehicle to help other children,” said Michelle.

Yesterday, Quinn and Colton helped to deliver the toys to WakeMed.  Bringing 2 large tote bins full of toys, it looked a lot like Santa had arrived.  Thanks to Susan Davis, Child Life Specialist, the toys will be distributed to kids as needed during their stay, to make their day just a little bit brighter.

If you are interested in doing something similar or in donating other items for the Children’s Hospital, please contact the WakeMed Foundation at 919-350-4596.

This year, Parksite employee-owners built and donated a beautiful children’s playhouse to the WakeMed Foundation, to be raffled off Auto Expo.  The playhouse was on-site during the event so everyone could get a look at what they were hoping to win.  The lucky winner, Stephanie Rodriguez, a marine just back from a 10 month deployment, has a daughter and niece that will get to enjoy the house for many years to come!

With almost 100 participants, the racquets were swinging and tennis balls were flying.  Children aged 5 – 14 enjoyed Quick Start Mini Tennis, a fast-paced, scaled-down, non-competitive tennis for over 2 hours.  Simultaneously, adult players (and some very talented teens) enjoyed friendly competition during the round robin tournament. 

Participants, volunteers, and observers battled for winning bids during a silent auction which featured prizes ranging from a beachfront condo for a long weekend to tickets to the Winston-Salem Open to Build-A-Bears.

Dinner, prepared by Raleigh Racquet Club’s own Chef Jason, was designed to give players the energy they would need for an evening of exertion.

If you missed out on the fun and excitement this year be sure to attend the 2013 Winter Chill Tennis Challenge next year!

Amy Peters, the Elf, was joined by Stephen Peters (President & CEO), Nick Kolbenschlag (Director of Operations and Service), Wendy Miller (Director of Business Advisory Services and Tax),  Terri Snyder (Executive Assistant), and Stacy Beane.

Foresters’ philosophy is to create opportunities for members to spend quality time together and volunteerism is one of the ways that they do that.  Each year, they choose charities that they can get involved with and this year, they chose the WakeMed Children’s Hospital.

Mollie Dowdy, Member Coordinator, organized the entire project and contacted the WakeMed Foundation earlier this year about their idea.  She delivered all 90 bears to WakeMed on December 6th.

I had the pleasure of joining Susan Davis, Child Life Specialist, to deliver a few of the bears to some very excited children.

In keeping with the type of celebration needed to properly honor fifty years of service to the community, this year’s gala welcomed nearly 1000 guests and featured dinner, live music, dancing and a show by legendary comedian, Jay Leno.

The evening was a beautiful and fitting tribute to those leaders and generous donors that have helped grow the Foundation and impact the quality and delivery of patient care at WakeMed. 

As Jay Leno closed his portion of the show, he surprised the room by announcing that he would donate $10,000 to the WakeMed Children’s Hospital.

Within a couple of weeks, Zebulon associates had well exceeded the goal of collecting 100 books, and already had 300 books that had been donated to give away!

WakeMed was delighted to host Johnnie Mann (HR Administator) and Diane Pascoe (Manager, Human Resources) at the Children’s Hospital to deliver the books in person.

Because of the great success of this book drive, Noël Group is now considering conducting a book drive for gently-used books to give to adults and other children at the hospital.

A big thank you to the associates that helped to put smiles on many little faces!

“J. McLaughlin is an established, classic American clothing brand featuring a flair for bold colors and signature prints. Since 1978, J. McLaughlin has reinvented American classics for women and men, with a nod to fashion and a wink to tradition. Brothers and founders Jay and Kevin McLaughlin share a passion for classical design and historical architecture…Inside and out, the stores are architecturally inspired by the community, evoking a vintage atmosphere and invitingly decorated with fine woodwork, antiques and comfortable furniture upholstered in bright florals, soft tweeds, animal prints and other distinctive fabrics.”   – www.northhillsraleigh.com

Date: November 10, 2011
Time: 5 – 8 pm
Location: J. McLaughlin, 4209-121 Lassiter Mill Road, Raleigh, NC

Tuesday, September 13
10 am to Noon
Alice Aycock Poe Center for Health Education
224 Sunnybrook Rd., Raleigh

For more details, visit WakeMed Voices.