DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., December 11, 2017 On Dec. 5, Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center donated Christmas gifts to the Children's Home Society of Florida.
Since 1902, Childrens Home Society of Florida is the oldest and largest statewide organization devoted to helping children and families, serving more than 50,000 each year.
All in all, the Daytona Beach hospital gave 1,114 books, art supplies, and toys, as well as 22 bicycles to the children.
This is what Christmas is all about: giving of ourselves to others, said Darlinda Copeland, Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center chief operating officer. Seeing all of these gifts from our care team under the Christmas tree is so moving. I hope these toys bring a lot of joy to these boys and girls on Christmas day.
These gifts were donated through Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Centers first annual Race to the North Pole fitness challenge for staff. This wellness-based challenge encouraged regular physical activity during the holiday season.
For eight weeks, teams of employees worked together to race the 4,668 miles from Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center to Alaska. By exercising regularly, staff accumulated the mileage to the teams destination. In keeping with the holiday spirit, employees could add to their daily mileage by donating books, art supplies and toys for the Childrens Home Society of Florida.
After eight weeks of competition, Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center staff logged a total of 2,721 hours of fitness.
Today, 23 percent of Floridas kids nearly one million children live in extreme poverty. One in four children will suffer abuse or neglect. These statistics are simply unacceptable, said Kymberly Cook, executive director of the Children's Home Society of Florida. The holidays are a special time of the year, and to see the faces of our children light up after receiving one of these gifts is a truly rewarding experience. We are thankful to Florida Hospital and their staff for this outpouring of love. These gifts will leave a lasting impression on our children and we are genuinely grateful.
About Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center
Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center is a member of Adventist Health System, a faith-based health care organization with 45 hospital campuses and 8,200 licensed beds in nine states, serving more than 5 million patients annually. With a mission to extend the healing ministry of Christ, Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center includes the 327-bed facility in Daytona Beach, as well as Florida Hospital Oceanside with 80 beds in Ormond Beach. Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center and Florida Hospital Oceanside are two of the seven Florida Hospitals in Flagler, Lake and Volusia counties that composes the Florida Hospital Central Florida Division - North Region. As the largest hospital system in the area, the Florida Hospital Central Florida Division - North Region has 1,226 beds and more than 7,800 employees.
