Category: Site News

Miracle II Ambulance, Funded by Log A Load, Hits the Road in Maine

by Andrew Nash
The headline from WABI TV in Bangor, Maine

Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, Maine launched the Miracle II ambulance earlier this year. The ambulance serves as a mobile NICU, transporting Maine’s tiniest babies from regional hospitals across the state to receive specialized care.

The project was funded by donations from Northern Light EMMC Auxiliary, Professional Logging Contractors Northeast, Log A Load For Kids, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, and the community.

Visit WABI’s website to see the Miracle II featured on the nightly news and learn more about your donations in action.

Loggers Helping Children

by Andrew Nash

Loggers frequently give back, especially to the Log – a – Load for Kids Foundation, designed around a challenge for loggers to donate the value of one load of logs to the Children’s Miracle Hospitals Network, and have raised millions of dollars to help youth with medical needs which families cannot afford. Six local loggers that are now the “magnificent six” include Joshua Amos, Scotty Bottoms, Hunter Clary, Palmer Dugger, Paul Scott, and Adam Wilbourne because they planned and executed a Sporting Clay Tournament and Banquet at Arrowhead Gun Club in Lunenburg County to raise money for the King’s Daughters, UVA, & VCU Children’s Miracle Hospitals.

Fifty-two teams registered for the fun shooting event and over 250 people, along with over 75 sponsors attended/supported the shooting events, the banquet, and the auction to raise money for children. The LAL State Coordinator Nikki Robertson, Virginia Loggers Association members, and many volunteers helped too. The event was the most successful in Virginia history with the loggers raising a gross of $130,000 with about $110,000 going to the hospitals. Palmer Dugger, speaking on behalf of the “magnificent six” said, “we just wanted to have an event in Southern Virginia that we would be able to attend and to try to do more for Log-a-Load for Kids! We never dreamed we would make more than $100,000 to be donated to Children’s Miracle Hospitals! Working with this group of loggers was a real honor! Watching all the people coming together and supporting this was an amazing thing! Hopefully people will start to realize that loggers are good people and care about more than just making a dollar.”

Kate Ryan joined the great event as the official Philanthropy Officer of the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters in Norfolk, Virginia, one of two recipients for the proceeds. Kate was very impressed with the success of the event and said, “Thank you to the Virginia Loggers Association for their generous support of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals through the first annual Sporting Clay Tournament at Arrowhead Gun Club! Funds raised will help Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters in Norfolk, Virginia, purchase a Butterfly iQ3 for our transport – a handheld ultrasound probe that connects to any iPhone or iPad, allowing practitioners to perform real-time imaging in the field. We are so grateful to all the volunteers, sponsors and attendees that helped to make this event such a success.”

During the dinner, Delegate Tommy Wright (R-Victoria) who represents House District 50 presented commendations from the Virginia House of Delegates to the six sponsors of the Sporting Clay Tournament and Banquet at Arrowhead Gun Club in Lunenburg County. Delegate Wright thanked everyone associated with the fundraising event for their hard work and was pleased with the success of the fundraiser.

Delegate Wright said “I’m proud to commend these six dedicated loggers for their incredible work in hosting the Log a Load for Kids event in Lunenburg County. Their generosity and commitment to helping children battling illnesses is truly inspiring. It’s a great honor to have such a meaningful and compassionate event take place right here in Southside Virginia and I thank them for making a real difference in the lives of families across our Commonwealth.”

We are so proud of the group and sponsors who gave back to make a difference for children!

Thank you, Log A Load!

by Andrew Nash

We would like to thank all of our state Log A Load For Kids sponsors and vendors and all of our dedicated volunteers for a Fantastic 2023 fundraising year. The total raised in 2023 from 28 states supporting over 72 Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (CMNH) was over $5.0 million dollars. We are extremely excited with the donation totals and are looking forward to another successful fundraising year in 2024.

Your donations are needed and appreciated to help sick and injured children! Each of the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, are all nonprofit hospitals, relies on partners like Log A Load For Kids Foundation to keep the doors open to be able to create miracles for sick and injured kids in our communities. By donating or helping with fundraisers you are helping your own neighbors, family members, and friends of your communities.

American Loggers Council is our national sponsor for Log A Load For Kids. We are so thrilled to be part of the American Loggers Council family.  Thank you to Scott Dane, Executive Director and the Board of Director’s of American Loggers Council for all of your support for all the Log A Load For Kids programs in over 28 states, we look forward to growing the Log A Load For Kids in each state to fund our local Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals for sick and injured children.

We would like to have all of the states email to us your State chapters and contact information for each chapter/group in your state. Email to: nationallogaloadforkids@gmail.com OR anash@cmnhospitals.org

We would love to have everyone send their events that will be coming up, so we can add to the LAL calendar and would also like pictures of your events.

The upcoming Children’s Miracle Network Hospital’s week is coming up April 8-11, 2024, at Walt Disney’s Dolphin Resort in Orlando Florida. This is a momentous week to come and experience what CMNH has done and continues to do to help Hospitals and Corporate Partners to raise funds. You will also get to hear and meet some of the families that have been helped by a CMNH. This experience is heartwarming and worthy of your time. A few of our Board members will be in attendance and look forward to seeing you there. For more information, click here.

The American Loggers Council will be holding their annual meeting in October in Sonora, California in 2024. American Loggers Council will be hosting an evening with dinner and fundraising auction for Log A Load For Kids which will benefit a local California CMNH Hospital.

Our National Log A Load For Kids would like to thank all of you for all you do for sick and injured Children. We look forward to hearing from all of you and wish all of you a remarkably successful fundraising 2024!

President/Director: Sherri Hansen – Washington State

Vice President: Niki Stenner – South Carolina

Secretary: Lisa Medici – California

Treasurer: Melinda Fraley – Washington State

Board Member: Rich Palermo – Virginia

Board Member: David Livingston – Mississippi

Board Member: Cindy Lussier – South Carolina

Board Member: Joan Nichols – Connecticut

CMNH Representative: Andrew Nash

A WORD FROM THE LOG A LOAD FOR KIDS FOUNDATION, INC BOARD

by Andrew Nash

Happy 35th Anniversary, Log A Load For Kids!

We would like to thank all of our state Log A Load For Kids sponsors and vendors and all of our dedicated volunteers for a GREAT 2022 fundraising year. Total raised in 2022 from 30 states supporting over 70 Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (CMNH) was over $3.6 million dollars. We are very thrilled with the donation totals and are looking forward to another successful fundraising year.

Your donations are greatly needed and appreciated! Each of the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, are all nonprofit hospitals, relies on partners like Log A Load For Kids Foundation to keep the doors open to be able to create miracles for sick and injured kids in our communities. By donating or helping with fundraisers you are helping your own neighbors, family members, and friends of your communities.

This past year the American Loggers Council voted to be the national sponsor for Log A Load For Kids. We are so thrilled to be part of the American Loggers Council family. Thank you to Scott Dane, Executive Director and the Board of Director’s of American Loggers Council for all of your support for all the Log A Load For Kids programs in over 30 states, we look forward to growing the Log A Load For Kids in each state to fund our local Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals for sick and injured children.

We would like to have all of the states email to us your State chapters and contact information for each chapter/group in your state. We would love to have everyone send their events that will be coming up, so we can add to the LAL calendar and would also like pictures of your events.
Email to: nationallogaloadforkids@gmail.com OR anash@cmnhospitals.org

The upcoming Children’s Hospitals Week is coming up April 4-7, 2023, at Marriott World Center in Orlando Florida. This is a great week to come and experience what CMNH has done and continues to do to help Hospitals and Corporate Partners to raise funds. You will also get to hear and meet some of the families that have been helped by a CMNH. This experience is heartwarming and worthy of your time. A few of our Board members will be in attendance and look forward to seeing you there.

The American Loggers Council will be holding their annual meeting October 3-7, 2023, in Newry, Maine at the Sunday River Ski Resort. American Loggers Council will be hosting an evening with dinner and fundraising auction for Log A Load For Kids which will benefit a local Maine CMNH Hospital.

We look forward to hearing from all of you and wish all of you a very successful fundraising 2023.
President/Director: Sherri Hansen — Washington State
Vice President: Niki Stenner —South Carolina
Secretary: Lisa Medici — California
Treasurer: Melinda Fraley— Washington State
Board Member: Rich Palermo — Virginia
CMNH Partner Representative: Andrew Nash — anash@cmnhospitals.org

The American Loggers Council raises amazing funds at the September meeting!

by Cody Brown

We have exciting news to share!  The American Loggers Council (ALC) met in September and selected Children’s Hospital of Alabama to be the beneficiary of their auction event. The two main items that were auctioned off: a Keith Urban guitar, and a Stihl Chainsaw. The guitar sold for an amazing $3,750 and the chainsaw (which was sold once then donated back to be sold again) went for $5,400. In addition to the guitar and chainsaw, cash donations were given as members of the ALC came in/out of the event. I’m thrilled to inform you that a grand total of $10,200 was raised for your hospital!!! It was a great event and probably the most successful one we’ve been a part of through the ALC.

 

Log A Load FRA Update Letter

by Cody Brown

 

 

July 29, 2019

Dear Log A Load For Kids Advisory Committee:
Over the last few months Deb Hawkinson, Forest Resources Association (FRA) and Lee Anne Fitzgerald, Log A Load (LAL) Chair, have been in discussions about the Log A Load For Kids Foundation operating as a 501©3 without the administrative support of FRA.
LAL has strengthened its brand across the country over the years, and there is an interest to have the foundation expand its financial support and engagement to other forestry groups. This includes broader support of donations at the business level to support national projects that serve to promote and heighten the awareness of state LAL efforts.
FRA has served as the administrator of LAL for 26 years, and this role has evolved over time. FRA originally became involved to help spread LAL’s philanthropic efforts that began in South Carolina to across the country. This mission has been accomplished as we have all watched LAL become a successful foundation supporting Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) hospitals nationwide.
LAL Board Members Sherri Hansen, Rich Palermo and Lisa Medici have been involved in conversations about the future vision of Log A Load, and LAL leadership agrees with the expansion of national support as it looks to strengthen its outreach.
Log a Load for Kids is a top 15 corporate sponsor at Children’s Miracle Network and the only grass-roots campaign of its kind! The organization is standing tall against Wal-Mart, Sam’s, Costco, ACE, Panda Express, Delta, Marriott and more. Its growth into 28+ states is too much for the chair to cover solely. There have been talks of adding regional national directors to assist with attending all the logging industries conferences and support regional activities as needed.
LAL would like the ability to solicit corporate sponsors to help underwrite travel expenses. Currently, LAL relies heavily on CMNH to pay for the annual meeting in Orlando, purchase promotional items, and most recently manage the website and promotion on social media. While attending CMN Hospital week in Orlando is exciting, a dedicated time for yearly planning would be ideal. This time could be in conjunction with one of the many logging conferences or state forestry associations. The goal would be to exchange corporate underwriting for advertisement on LAL webpage and newsletters.
Lastly, is the wish to reorganize the group for success. LAL current advisory board needs to be updated to make sure all states are included. In addition, setup a National Board of Directors, Regional Directors and an
Advisory Committee. There are a lot of talented folks in the LAL group and together the organization can continue to grow.

LAL wishes to thank FRA for their tremendous support for 26 years! LAL would not be where it is today if FRA had not gotten involved.

The next step is to ensure a smooth transition moving forward to ensure the future strength of LAL. Please let either Deb or Lee Anne know if you have questions or would like additional details.

 

 

 

Volunteer of the Year 2019 – Jay Wolfe

by Cody Brown

Jay Wolfe was recently awarded the ‘Volunteer Of The Year’ at the 2019 Forest Resources Association (FRA) Annual Convention.

Jay also received recognition for this award during Children’s Hospitals Week, an Annual Event held by Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.  Jay’s selfless hours serving his local hospital, church and overall community are a big part of why he was nominated.  Jay has a special place in his heart  for children and their overall care and wellness.  His efforts and generosity embody what Log A Load for kids is all about.

FRA’S 2017 National Outstanding Logger Donates $1,000 to Minnesota Hospital

by Jacob Minor

Charleston, S.C. – The Forest Resources Association and STIHL Incorporated honored Hasbargen Logging, Inc. from Birchdale, Minnesota as the National Outstanding Logger at FRA’s Annual Meeting in Charleston, South Carolina on May 3rd.  FRA Chairman Bill Johnson presented Kit Hasbargen with a wooden plaque, while STIHL’s Kent Hall presented Hasbargen Logging with a $1,000 check.  The Hasbargen family has announced that they plan to donate the $1,000 to Minnesota’s Gillette Children’s Hospital.

On stage to receive the award were Kit Hasbargen, Clarence Hasbargen, Al Hasbargen, Clinton Cook, and Zach Hasbargen.  Upon receiving the award, Kit expressed his sincere appreciation to FRA and to STIHL.  Kit related how sad he was that his father Alvin, who founded Hasbargen Logging, did not live long enough to receive the award that resulted from the work ethic and values Alvin instilled in all family members.

 

In April 2016, Hasbargen Logging was named Minnesota’s Logger of the Year by the Minnesota Sustainable Forestry Initiative® Committee.  Later that same month, the UMD Center for Economic Development named Hasbargen Logging a recipient of a Joel Labovitz Entrepreneurial Success Award.  In September 2016, Kit Hasbargen was named FRA’s 2016 Lake States Region Outstanding Logger.  All these awards cited Hasbargen Logging’s professionalism and community involvement as important factors.

 

The 5th generation of Hasbargens have now started helping in the office, a sign that the family business launched by Alvin Hasbargen in 1943 will continue the long-standing tradition of excellence resulting from a strong work ethic and family values.

New Children’s Transport Vehicle – Funds Provided by Children’s Miracle Network

by Claire Gedde

Today, officials with Vidant Medical Center, Vidant EastCare and the Vidant Medical Center Foundation launched the new children’s transport vehicle with a splash of water to make it official.

Vidant EastCare is an advanced critical transport service that is committed to providing the highest level of care for the people of eastern North Carolina. Staff identified a need for a transport vehicle to be added to the EastCare fleet that was specifically outfitted and designed to care for infants and children during their journey to the hospital.

Children’s Miracle Network – Greenville, NC provided the funds for this new specialized vehicle, which means that the money raised to pay for it came from right here in eastern North Carolina. Children’s Miracle Network is a fundraising arm of the Vidant Health Foundation.

More than 1,500 patients a year are transported to the James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital in order to receive specialty care in the neonatal intensive care unit, pediatric intensive care unit, general pediatrics, or kids’ immunosuppressed specialty unit (KISU).

“We are so fortunate here in eastern North Carolina to have access to higher levels of pediatric specialty care such as cardiology, hematology/oncology and neurology, just to mention a few,” said Brian Floyd, president, Vidant Medical Center. “And now we have a vehicle designed for our pediatric patients to get them to this specialty care.”

A dedicated children’s hospital transport team will provide transport services for sick infants and children throughout eastern North Carolina. The team is comprised of intensive-care trained nurses who are skilled at providing the specialty care many of these children need from the onset of transport to the arrival at the Maynard Children’s Hospital. With the addition of the new children’s transport vehicle, this team will be available 24/7 by helicopter or ambulance whenever a child in the region is in need.

“Specialized equipment such as an incubator for babies born prematurely allows the children’s hospital transport team members to provide high quality care throughout the entire transport process,” said Dr. Ryan Moore, co-medical director, Maynard Children’s Hospital. “Attending physicians in our specialty units in Maynard Children’s Hospital provide guidance to the team members via frequent updates regarding the patient’s clinical status.”

Joining Floyd and Moore in the official launching of the vehicle were Joel Butler, president of Vidant Health Foundation, and Scott Sampey, senior administrator of Vidant East Care.

 

Log A Load For Kids Volunteers Raise $2,285,032 in 2015 for 61 Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals

by stoute

radiothon-cmn

Log A Load For Kids Volunteers Raise $2,285,032 in 2015 for 61 Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals

 

Grassroots Efforts Help Local Pediatric Patients Through

Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals

 

Log A Load For Kids, a group of individuals and businesses in the logging and forestry industry, raised $2,285,032 in 2015 for 61 Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

 

What originally began as loggers and wood-suppliers donating the value of a load of logs to their local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital has expanded into a variety of creative events. Generous volunteers organize various activities throughout the year including golf tournaments, carnivals, fishing events and skeet shoots to collect donations that benefit kids and families in the community.

 

“We’re so appreciative of the donations and the volunteer hours logged each year by the men and women involved with Log A Load For Kids,” said John Lauck, president and CEO of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. “Their efforts have resulted in countless miracles for the 62 kids who enter a CMN Hospital every minute.”

 

Log A Load for Kids has raised more than $46 million for sick and injured children since partnering with the charity in 1988. Log A Load funds impact 61 of the 170 Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals across North America. Hospitals utilize the funds based on what they need the most — typically for purchasing lifesaving equipment, supporting top therapy programs and providing charitable care.

 

“The opportunity to join Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals in this effort to help deliver quality healthcare to children has become something very special for all of the state Log A Load For Kids® sponsors, vendors and all of our dedicated volunteers, said Sherri Hansen, Chair of  Log A Load for Kids.  We are thrilled with the donation total that was raised in 2015 and are looking forward to another great fundraising year in 2016.

 

 

For more information on Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals visit: www.CMNHospitals.org.

 

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About Log A Load For Kids

Log A Load For Kids is an annual campaign, which encourages loggers and others in the forest products community to donate the value of one load of logs, or any amount, to local Children’s Miracle Network hospitals. Log A Load For Kids is a national leader in CMN fundraising. For more information, or to donate funds to a CMN-affiliated hospital in your area, please visit www.logaload.org.

 

About Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals

Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals® raises funds and awareness for 170 member hospitals that provide 32 million treatments each year to kids across the U.S. and Canada. Donations stay local to fund critical treatments and healthcare services, pediatric medical equipment and charitable care. Since 1983, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals has raised more than $5 billion, most of it $1 at a time through the charity’s Miracle Balloon icon. Its various fundraising partners and programs support the nonprofit’s mission to save and improve the lives of as many children as possible. Find out why children’s hospitals need community support, identify your member hospital and learn how you can Put Your Money Where the Miracles Are, at CMNHospitals.org and facebook.com/CMNHospitals.