IU Health Bedford and Bedford Kiwanis Club Raise Flag in Support of Riley Children's Foundation BeTheHopeNOW Campaign
Last updated on Wednesday, November 28, 2018
IU Health Hospital Bedford CEO Brad Dykes helps raise the flag.
Flags are being raised across the state today in support of the fundraising campaign. The Bedford Kiwanis Club, in partnership with IU Health Bedford Hospital, raised a flag this morning on the flagpole that faces 16th Street.
Susan Gales, Brad Dykes, Ralph Anderson, amoung those attending the ceremony.
“It is well known the Bedford Kiwanis Club has been a supporter of Riley Hospital began,” says Susan Gales, the treasurer/secretary for Bedford Kiwanis and a member of the regional Council for Riley Hospital. “The Kiwanis motto is saving the world one child at a time, it only makes sense to walk hand and hand with Riley.”
Gales says you can walk the halls at Riley Hospital and see how Kiwanis Indiana and Kiwanis International has helped the children of Riley.
“One of those is the helicopter pad at Riley,” she added. “My own grandson used it when he had to be rushed to Riley.”
IU Health Hospital Bedford CEO Brad Dykes was pleased to help raise awareness to the need.
“This is the first day of the fundraising campaign,” he added. “We wanted to show our support by raising the flag this morning”
The goal is to raise $175,000,000 by 2020 to transform Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health through three high-priority programs:
Pediatric Research and Patient Care
The Need
One in every eight children diagnosed with cancer will not survive without new discoveries.
Riley’s investigators at the Wells Center for Pediatric Research needs donors’ funding to speed up discoveries for children with - cancer; heart defects; lung disorders; infectious disease; and diabetes.
In the past 20 years, only three new cancer drugs have been approved specifically for children.
Your Impact
Donations help Riley recruit world-class researchers and provide seed and bridge funding to get new ideas off the ground.
Every dollar donated leads to $10 in additional support for Riley research.
Riley is now among the nation’s top 10 pediatric research hospitals because of donors.
Maternity and Newborn Health
The need
600 babies in Indiana die before their first birthday each year.
Indiana’s infant mortality rate is among the highest in the nation.
Many of these deaths are preventable. We cannot wait to act when babies’ lives are at stake.
Your Impact
Your gifts are helping Riley hire up to 12 maternal-fetal medicine specialists to address a shortage of care for mothers with high-risk pregnancies.
Gifts are also helping create a new Riley Fetal Center to provide comprehensive care for expectant mothers whose babies are diagnosed prenatally with birth defects.
With your help Riley can help save 137 babies’ lives each year by reducing Indiana’s infant mortality rate to the national average
.
Family Support Programs
The Need
Family Support Programs like Child Life and Social Work are not covered by insurance and cannot be sustained without donations.
More than 75 percent of funding for Riley Social Work and Child Life teams comes from donors.
Riley families have many needs including - child-friendly comfort techniques, counseling, sibling support, and emergency funding.
Your Impact
Your gifts provide every child who stays at Riley with access to Child Life Specialists and Social Workers, who bring comfort, joy, and empowerment.
Children who receive Child Life services experience far less fear, anxiety, pain, and distress.
Riley’s Social Workers remove barriers for families and help children have shorter and less-frequent hospital stays.
“Children need us to put their futures first. With lives at stake, we cannot afford to wait,” Gales added.
#BeTheHopeNOW and join Riley’s fight today and support sick and injured children who need our life-saving support. French Lick Resort is matching all donations up to $200,000 through December 31. To donate click here.
1340 AM WBIW welcomes comments and suggestions by calling 812.277.1340 during normal business hours or by email at comments@wbiw.com
