#ChildrensHospitalsWeek takeaways

Some of our CMN Hospitals at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital team members joined fellow CMN Hospitals colleagues in Orlando during #ChildrensHospitalsWeek to learn more about how they can best serve our youngest patients. Here are some of their takeaways:

CMN Hospitals senior development associate poses for a photo with National CMN Hospitals ambassador and UF Health Shands Children's Hospital patient, Izabella.
CMN Hospitals senior development associate poses for a photo with National CMN Hospitals ambassador and UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital patient, Izabella.

Dance Marathon programs are growing at an incredible pace. Not only do these programs raise an eye-popping amount of funds for local children’s hospitals, but they also help students connect with pediatric patients in meaningful ways that impact their lives beyond high school and college.

“I learned that Dance Marathons as a whole raised $43,000,000 in 2018, which is equivalent to how much they had collectively raised in previous years. This exponential growth is refreshing to see, and it’s exciting to know that $5,423,457.28 of last year’s numbers came from our programs at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital!” — Lindsay Ritenbaugh, senior development associate

Dance Marathon programs aren’t the only CMN Hospitals initiatives on the rise. Extra Life, an up-and-coming fundraising force encourages thousands of players around the world to host fundraising and gaming marathons.

I learned that the Extra Life United program grew 24 percent last year, making it one of the largest growing programs for CMN nationally. We had four attendees from our Extra Life program benefiting UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital attend and compete to win additional money during Children’s Hospitals Week. They won roughly $1,500 during the week! — Mary Garland, CMN director

Fundraising for children’s hospitals is growing. This means more research for pediatric illnesses, more specialized treatment and more resources for our own local children’s hospital, UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital.

CMN Hospitals development coordinator Kristy Potter poses for a photo with National CMN Hospitals ambassador and UF Health Shands Children's Hospital patient, Izabella.
CMN Hospitals development coordinator Kristy Potter poses for a photo with National CMN Hospitals ambassador and UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital patient, Izabella.

“CMN National ended the year at $409.5 million, up from $388.5 million in 2018.” — Heather Mears, senior director of program management