Black History Month observance

The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Observance 2009 Committee Members. To view a slideshow of the event click here.

Valerie Montgomery Rice, MD, senior vice president for Health Affairs and dean of the School of Medicine at Meharry Medical College, is this year's keynote speaker. All are welcome to attend the event Feb. 25, from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. in the Gamble Reading Room

Children's ranked at the top in Parents

The hospital has been ranked as the top pediatric hospital in the country for cardiac and orthopedic care in Parents magazine's Best Children's Hospitals survey. Children's was rated second overall among the more than 100 pediatric hospitals surveyed, and was among the top five for cancer care and pulmonary medicine.

Hospitals are ranked on their responses to detailed questions about survival rates for childhood cancer, pediatric heart disease and other critical conditions; their experience in performing certain complex procedures; the depth of the research program; safeguards to prevent medical errors; staffing ratios and quality; waiting times in the emergency department; community outreach; and services that address the emotional needs of sick children and their families.

New Dream out now

The new issue of Dream has come out. Look for stories about a patient who overcame Cushing's disease, an article about how Children's plastic surgeons saved a baby from Haiti and advice for parents on how to talk to teens about sex. Also check out videos about amazing Children's patients and programs by visiting childrenshospital.org/dream and sign up for e-Dream, the monthly e-newsletter.

Red Sox rookie visit

Twelve of the future Boston Red Sox players and team general manager, Theo Epstein, stopped by Children's on January 14 to meet patients, take photos and sign autographs. The annual visit was part of the team's rookie development program that educates current minor leaguer players on the assimilation into major league life off the field.

John Hancock employees' good deed

In addition to stock tips and retirement advice, John Hancock Financial Services gave toys and gift cards this holiday season. John Hancock employees from several Massachusetts locations donated 1,001 toys and $2,370 in gift cards to Children's Hospital Primary Care Center (CHPCC) and Martha Eliot Health Center (MEHC).

The contributions were a welcome surprise to parents struggling to provide basics, like food and housing to their kids. CHPCC and MEHC serve as a much-needed resource, providing a combined 52,000 pediatric visits. In fact, Children's serves more underserved and uninsured children than any other Massachusetts hospital.

Science inspires art

An art exhibition by Pablo Chao, a senior at Boston Latin High School, was recently held in the Enders lobby. Chao, who is a growing figure in the Boston art scene, worked on a graphic art project in the laboratory of Ofer Levy, MD, PhD this past summer and has created artwork based on the themes of vaccine adjuvant research.

Children's Blood Donor of the Month

Congratulations to Children's Blood Donor of the Month for February, Stephanie Sharp. As an O- donor, Sharp has an understanding of how important it is to give blood. She began donating whole blood in high school, and during her freshman year of college she heard about donating platelets, a particular component of the blood. Learning that platelets only have a shelf-life of five days, was an even greater incentive to donate as often as possible.

Sharp began donating at Children's for a simple reason, "I have always worked with children, so when I was choosing a place to donate, Children's just made sense. I donated somewhat regularly for years, but when my antigens were matched with a patientÖit became more personal."

While donating platelets may be a greater time commitment than donating whole blood, Stephanie finds that meeting children who have benefited from receiving platelets "puts a face to the receiving end of the donations." As a graduate student studying to become a child life specialist, Sharp struggles to find free time, yet she regularly donates for the patients at Children's and the Jimmy Fund.

Sharp encourages non-donors to "look at a child who may cross your path; your own child, a niece or nephew, a child of friends, or even a stranger, and think about this child needing blood one day. Having a specific child in mind who could be saved by your donation makes it much harder to keep putting it off."

If you're interested in giving platelets or would like more information on donating blood in general, call 617-355-6677.

Driving for Children's

One swing at a time, Meineke Car Care Centers of New England raised $12,000 for Children's during its 9th annual golf tournament. Meineke Operations Manager Don Casey organizes the annual event and delivered the check to Children's.

Since last year, Meineke's golf tournament has raised more than $88,000 for Children's through the Children's Miracle Network, a non-profit organization that helps raise funds for 170 pediatric hospitals in North America, including Children's.

Olympian keeps Children's in mind

Olympic triathlete Jarrod Shoemaker has added some Olympic oomph to Marlborough, Mass., by founding the Marlborough Triathlon with race director Bill Burnett. Their reasons for inviting athletes to take to the water and road on Sunday, July 26 are three-fold: to bring a world-class event to Marlborough, increase support for triathlons and raise funds for Children's.

Burnett, Shoemaker, his wife, Alicia, and his coach, Tim Crowley, recently visited patients to spread cheer and spread the word about being a triathlete. Shoemaker and crew have selected Children's as the triathlon's charitable partner. Athletes can support the hospital by registering for the Marlborough Triathlon and raising funds through gifts from family and friends and online donations.

For more information or to register, visit www.childrenshospital.org/marlboroughtri or www.marlboroughtri.com.

Big business answers ASK's call

Children's Advocating Success for Kids (ASK) program recently received three gifts from three well-known companies: $100,000 from the Proctor & Gamble Fund, $25,000 from Tufts Health Plan Foundation and $10,000 from the Bloomingdale's Fund of the Macy's Foundation. The funds will help ASK maximize educational outcomes of high-risk, low-income children ages 3-18 with developmental and/or behavioral problems.

Pediatricians, social workers, psychologists and Harvard University volunteer advocates make up the ASK team, offering children in need "one-stop-shopping" access to multidisciplinary services. The program primarily serves families in Dorchester, Roxbury, Mattapan and Jamaica Plain and addresses an issue no other organization is taking on: some Boston kids' severely limited access to development services.

To date, more than 800 at-risk children have been helped by ASK. And with the recent support of three big corporations, some of our smallest community members will continue to get the help they need to succeed.