EVERGREEN PARK, Ill. -December 21, 2007- The holiday season is fast in motion and so are the nurses in the ICU department at Little Company of Mary Hospital. They are in the midst of their annual gift giving tradition in partnership with Brownell School of Chicago, where 92 percent of the students come from low-income families.
It started 17 years ago with Penny Winnick, a nurse in the ICU department, who donated toys to local schools and the idea flourished with others wanting to join and help. Today the partnership allows every Brownell student who writes a letter to Santa's Little Helpers with a gift from their wish list.
Winnick has a dedicated group of employees, friends, volunteers, physicians, and patients who ask for a letter in November. 'The outpouring of support is overwhelming. The amount of people who want to help is incredibly generous and year after year more people come by looking to answer a letter.'
Brownell's Assistant Principal, Pamela Willis, guides the letters created by students. 'The students just know that we are sending their letters to the North Pole where Santa's Little Helpers are waiting for them.' Willis then personally drops them off at Little Company where they are distributed to everyone who wishes to participate.
'Once we have those letters in my hand they are gone within the next couple of days.' Penny says. Employees have to turn people away who come too late. 'There are so many generous people at Little Company of Mary who want to give.'
Within a few weeks, co-workers collect, assemble and check their lists twice with the donations reaching more than 500 gift-wrapped packages. They load an entire truck, donated by Little Company of Mary's Home Health Equipment Center, where they are routed to the school and the children are able to receive them before winter break. The nurses say the best part is that the children never know anything other than Santa's Little Helpers dropped off a surprise.
'My heart breaks when we receive a letter from a child who simply wants a jacket or a pair of socks. So many children out there just want necessary items to stay warm this winter, and we hope that somehow this donation will give them something to look forward to.'
The intensive care unit, may not be a cheerful place to some, but for Penny and her co-workers who started working together nearly 35 years ago, say they look at it not by seeing death, but celebrating life. This campaign is a way for them to continue giving and have forged a commitment to this drive and to each other. 'It truly has been a rewarding part of my career.'
Little Company of Mary Hospital and Health Care Centers (www.LCMH.org), is a Catholic, not-for-profit hospital based in Evergreen Park. For nearly 80 years, Little Company of Mary has delivered compassionate care to Chicago's Southwest area. While there's always going to be a certain level of pain with any surgery or treatment, Little Company of Mary is committed to finding new ways of reducing it. From minimally invasive techniques that fight cancer with a quicker recovery to a caring approach with better patient communication and convenient access, our team of experts is constantly making the experience of health care hassle-free. And every day, whether it's new ways of making you more comfortable or bringing the latest technology right to your neighborhood, we're always moving forward in pursuit of pain-free health care.
