Baldwin-Whitehall Football Team to Visit Ridgepointe Assisted Living
Gibsonia, Pa. - Dec. 8, 2006 - Young, hulking football players … frail, elderly assisted living residents. That study in contrasts will be personified at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 13 as the Baldwin-Whitehall High School football team visits the 55 residents of Ridgepointe Assisted Living, 5301 Brownsville Road. Each team member will give a present to a resident and spend some one-on-one time with their resident.
The team's outreach endeavor is part of the 2006 PRESENTS FOR PATIENTS® campaign, which is creating smiles for 22,548 patients. This is the second year the team has "adopted" the residents of Ridgepointe and they are back by popular demand. One team member will even play Santa Claus.
Baldwin-Whitehall's visit is just one example of the gifts and visits that are being arranged this Christmas season by PRESENTS FOR PATIENTS®. Two-hundred seventy-two nursing homes and personal care homes throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, West Virginia and Tennessee have enrolled their patients in the 23rd annual campaign.
PRESENTS FOR PATIENTS® was founded in 1984 by William V. Day, president of St. Barnabas Health System. His mission was to help patients combat the loneliness they often feel during the holidays. Additionally, Day wanted to encourage members of the public to visit their local long-term care facilities so they could witness firsthand the acts of goodwill and compassion that occur every day.
At the beginning of each campaign, patients are asked what they would like for Christmas. Requests range from the unusual - a helicopter ride - to the simple - slippers, sweaters and lotion. When individuals or groups sign up to participate in PRESENTS FOR PATIENTS®, they are provided with the name, address and phone number of a nearby participating facility; the first name of their patient; and each patient's three gift requests to make shopping easy. The most important element of each PRESENTS FOR PATIENTS® "adoption" is connecting a patient with a new visitor, creating a smile. For more information, call (724) 443-0011 or visit www.PRESENTSFORPATIENTS.com.
Contact:
Kathleen Brenneman
(724) 444-5530
kbrenneman@stbarnabashealthsystem.com
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