More Than 500 Employees Volunteer Throughout Central Florida to Mark Annual Day of Caring

Hundreds of Florida Hospital employees volunteered at 17 locations throughout Central Florida today to mark the organizations second annual Day of Caring.

From sorting and organizing at United Against Poverty, to hanging Christmas lights and assisting with food distribution for the homeless at The Sharing Center, to painting and cleaning at Camp Thunderbird, employees known as Care Givers contributed their time and talents at more than a dozen organizations across Orange, Seminole, Osceola and Lake counties.

It's amazing to see so many CareGivers, a few local churches and a handful of teachers jump at the opportunity to help their neighbors, said Yamile Luna, assistant vice president of Florida Hospital Community Impact and Volunteerism. The best way to give back to the community is by sharing our time and talents with those who need it the most. Were privileged to care for our neighbors in the hospital, and honored to serve them out in the community as well.

So far this year, Florida Hospital employees have volunteered more than 17,600 hours to help people in our community and abroad.

Florida Hospital employees kicked off Day of Caring by packing more than 30,000 meals for children in Haiti. Meanwhile, dozens of employees sorted soaps, lotions and other toiletries at Clean the World.

I'm not a frontline-type person, so I don't get to connect with the community in ways that some of our other employees do, said Ben Fitzgerald, director of energy management and control systems at Florida Hospital, who volunteered at Clean the World in Orlando. This is great to be able to put a good foot forward for Florida Hospital, represent the community, and be able to provide a service that's helpful.