With back to school approaching, this can be a difficult time of year financially for parents.
That’s why the Women’s and Babies’ team at our St. Catharines Site decided to collect school supplies to help families in need. The team was participating in the Niagara Health 1,000 Acts of Kindness Workplace Challenge when they came up with the idea to help them reach their goal by Labour Day.
Registered Nurse Kim Bowen, who works on the unit, came up with the idea of supporting the Snacks ’n’ Sneakers program through Community Care.
Kim’s nephews, Isaac and Luke Tenyenhuis, are ambassadors of the Snacks ’n’ Sneakers program, which helps kids in Niagara head back to school with the supplies they need. The boys collect items like new shoes, backpacks, school supplies and healthy snacks.
The Women’s and Babies’ team purchased close to 500 items, including pens, pencils, highlighters, rulers, locker mirrors, math sets and more. The Niagara Region Public Health Nurses who work on the unit heard about their efforts and brought in organic granola bars to support the cause.
The items were given to the boys on Friday during an event at the St. Catharines hospital.
Not only has the Women’s and Babies’ team reached their goal of 1,000 acts of kindness, but they also helped Niagara Health reach a total of 5,000 acts of kindness through this workplace initiative.
“My hope is that this initiative will continue to grow each year,” said Heather Gallagher, Clinical Manager of the Women’s and Babies’ Unit. “We do a lot to support families during the holiday season, but often forget that back to school can be a financial struggle for some families.”
The unit plans to participate in Snacks ’n’ Sneakers every year.
More information on Snacks ’n’ Sneakers, can be found here.
