January 23, 2019
Not a month goes by that employees of Sheridan Memorial Hospital (SMH) aren’t raising money for, or partnering with, a good cause for the Sheridan community. In 2018, SMH employees donated over $44,700 and hundreds of food, clothing and toy items towards several efforts around the community.
According to Cecile Pattison, Community Relations Coordinator at SMH, “We work hard to promote a culture of kindness and that shows when it comes to the amount of time and money our employees give back to the community.”
Of the over $44,700 raised in 2018, the bulk ($40,000) was through the SMH Foundation Employee Partner Program. Each year, employees vote on which project to fund with the dollars raised and this year the funds will go to the MedSurg unit for a new patient family and telemedicine consult room. Over $410,000 has been raised through this program in the past 15 years.
Another major effort throughout the year is Jeans Fridays, where employees donate a minimum of $5 for the privilege of wearing jeans on designated Fridays each month.
“We average one Jeans Friday a month depending on the cause and the money raised goes to various efforts,” said Pattison. “This year the money helped with Safe Kids Day, The Link – Partners in Pink, Thanksgiving Food Drive, and the Sheridan Media Christmas Wish Campaign. Over $2500 was raised through Jeans Fridays in 2018.”
Hospital employees also took advantage of several other opportunities to give back in 2018.
– Kozy Korner Gifts of Kindness – Employees donate cash through the Kozy Korner gift shop, and those funds are used to purchase gifts for patients in the hospital over Christmas.
– Aid stations at the Dead Swede Hundo Bike Ride, Bike MS Bighorn Country Classic and the Bighorn Trail Run.
– Relay for Life – Employee teams raised funds through a bake sale and daffodil sales.
– Toys for Tots Toy Drive – Three large boxes of toys were donated this year.
– Emergency Department Coat Drive – A partnership with One Hour Martinizing – gave ten big bags of coats this year.
– Emergency Department Soup Drive – Donations of soup and cash for the food pantry during the holidays.
“When you look at the efforts over the entire year, it is easy to see how much our employees care about our community,” Pattison said. “We want to help people and make a difference. Every day we care for people in the hospital as part of our jobs, but these efforts show that our people want to go far above and beyond that to help others.”