GAINESVILLE – Thanks to a $15,000 grant from Pepsi Beverages Company, Shands Kids will have a new pediatric surgical waiting area to ease their anxiety.
Representatives from Pepsi visited Shands Children’s Hospital at the University of Florida on Feb. 9 to present a check to Tim Goldfarb,
Shands CEO, and Kenny Brighton, Dance Marathon at UF overall chair.
In September, Pepsi invited student organizations to submit project ideas to “refresh” UF. Dance Marathon at UF, the largest student-run philanthropy in the Southeast, proposed updating the pediatric surgical waiting area. After a six-week online voting competition, Dance Marathon at UF won the grant. Once renovations get underway, the project will take approximately eight to 10 weeks to complete. To bolster the grant, Shands matched the funds provided by Pepsi. The renovations will bring more privacy to patients, kid-friendly decor, an interactive game station, more art supplies and activities, and a flat-screen TV with games and DVDs.
Dance Marathon at UF has raised more than $3.7 million for Children’s Miracle Network at Shands Children’s Hospital at UF since its inception in 1995. Each April, more than 700 students stay awake and standing for 26.2 hours in support of Shands Kids.
Children’s Miracle Network is an alliance of more than 170 premier children’s hospitals across North America, and Shands Children’s Hospital at UF is one of seven hospital affiliates in Florida. With more than 8,200 admissions in 2010, Shands Children’s Hospital is the leading referral center in the state, treating kids from all over Florida, the U.S. and beyond. Contributions to Children’s Miracle Network directly benefit local children through the funding of life-saving medical equipment, diversionary items, pediatric research and patient education materials for Shands Children’s Hospital at UF. For more information, please visit Shandskids.org or Floridadm.org.
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