Month: January 2018

On October 19, 2017, the 23^rd Annual Tommy usher Log A Load For Kids Golf Classic celebrated the &1 million mark for donations made to the UF Health Stands Children’s Hospital in Gainesville, FL.

The tournament, played at the Chiefland Golf and Country Club, fielded 124 golfers.

“The focus of this event is to raise awareness of and money for the Children’s Miracle Network,” said event organizer Lynetta Usher Griner. “All the fun people have while they’re here is just an added bonus.”

The tournament is named in honor of Lynetta’s late brother, who was killed in a boating accident. Because of this passion for forestry, his love of children and his well-known sense of fun, the tournament is the perfect way to honor him.

In a nod to surpassing the million dollar mark, this year’s tournament featured chances for two golfers to win $1 million each. There were also prizes for the lowest gross and net scoring teams, the closest to the pin, the longest drive, the longest putt and a random drawing for a set of clubs and bag valued at $2,500.

“It takes a great team of volunteers to make the tournament happen,” said Griner. “We are all thrilled to be part of an effort that makes such an impact on the lives of so many children and their families.”

Since joining the Log A Load campaign efforts in 1995, Florida’s forestry community and friends have raised more than $2 million for hospitals associated with the Children’s Miracle Network in Florida.

Log A Load for kids is a nationwide giving campaign through which the forestry community contributes to local hospitals affiliated with the Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) to provide medical care to children whose families cannot pay for treatment. For more information, please visit www.FloridaForest.org and select Log A Load For Kids under the programs tab.

 

Santa Claus paid a visit to the University of Virginia Children’s Hospital on Christmas Day to hand out gifts and spread Christmas cheer to children and their families who were unable to leave the hospital for the holiday.

Santa also had a special surprise to deliver to the seventh floor pediatric unit.

Special music, toys, and a jolly man with a red suit and white beard brought a little Christmas cheer to the hospital.

After Santa dropped off presents at kids’ homes on Christmas Eve, he made a personal visit to children spending the holidays in the pediatric unit.

“We’ve been here since November 28, so I know we haven’t been at home and we haven’t been discussing Christmas with him, but for him to come here today and just be with Santa is just a blessing for us so that’s everything that I could ever want,” says BJ Hayes, a father of a child in the hospital.

Santa handed out stuffed animals and games but he didn’t stop there.

“We hope we’re creating a memory for them,” says Santa.

He brought the children a new playroom with the help of Log a Load for Kids, just in time for Christmas.

“We got special permission to actually have Santa visit in the room today, and we are excited for the children to see it for the first time,” says Karin Skeen, who works at the hospital.

Log a Load for Kids was founded 30 years ago by loggers and paper companies to raise money for local children’s hospitals.

The new room officially opened on Monday, December 25, and will be a space where children can take a break from their hospital rooms and get a taste of the outdoors.

“I want to see these kids that are in this seventh floor to be able to when they go in here, however they get here – by wheelchair or walk – that they at least feel like they are a little bit outside with all the windows and with the trees and wood themes,” says Rich Palermo of Log a Load.

After receiving gifts and a playroom from Santa, children and their parents said the hospital felt a little more like home.

But parents also wanted to make sure their children realized the most important part of Christmas.

“The main thing I teach him is the lord and savior, today is God’s day, so that’s the most important thing to me,” says Hayes.

Santa said his visit to the UVA Children’s Hospital was extra special for him because he’s a pediatric doctor.

He and the volunteers at the hospital want to thank the community for donating gifts to make Christmas Day’s event possible.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – WVU Medicine Children’s recently received a donation of $50,000 from the proceeds of the 21st Annual Ted Harriman Memorial Log-a-Load for Kids Auction, which was held on Oct. 5 in Elkins.

The event, which is sponsored by the Mountain Loggers Cooperative Association (MLCA), auctions off loads of logs and other donated items under the names of contributors. Proceeds from the auction are donated to WVU Medicine Children’s on behalf of the participating forestry and wood-products companies.

MLCA members and their families presented the donation to hospital staff. Afterwards, Santa Claus and members delivered toys to patients. They also left gifts behind for Santa’s Workshop, which allows patients’ families to shop for holiday gifts.

“A number of our members have had children treated at WVU Medicine Children’s over the years,” Secretary Tim Pahl said. “As the Log-a-Load tagline states ‘trees may be our most important renewable resource, but kids are our most precious resource!’ The hospital is such a tremendous resource and a great option for families. We’re just happy to help and bring some joy to the children.”

To date, the MLCA has donated more than $1.7 million to WVU Medicine Children’s.

“Our long-standing partnership with the Mountain Loggers Cooperative Association has allowed us to make many improvements throughout the years while also assisting with outreach programs,” Cheryl Jones, R.N., director of WVU Medicine Children’s, said. “Just as MCLA members come from West Virginia and other states, their support not only helps our patients from Morgantown but also the surrounding region.”

The Mountain Loggers Cooperative Association Log a Load for Kids Fund is a component fund of Your Community Foundation of North Central West Virginia, Inc., a charitable, non-profit organization founded to promote philanthropy and build endowment funds to enhance the quality of life for those the organization serves.