The Nursing Network Center collected clothing, toys, and gift cards for families and pets.
You can always count on the staff and volunteers of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania to make the holiday season a little lighter for patients and community members.
The surgical ICU’s “I Got Rhythm” tree featured punny titles only an ICU nurse could dream up, like “‘ICU When You’re Sleeping’ by the Nightshifters” and “‘It’s Beginning to Look a lot like Sepsis’ by the Hypotensives.”
In late December, patients were treated to a virtual holiday program in their hospital rooms, featuring the Penn Med Symphony Orchestra’s performance of “Swan Lake” and other classical pieces.
“Research has shown that music is the ‘universal language’ used to promote spiritual and emotional healing across various cultures, so I was extremely delighted to help PennMed Symphony connect with our patients,” said Peta White, administrative coordinator for HUP Volunteer Services.
The volunteer Abrahamsohn Christmas and Easter Committee’s annual tree-decorating contest, now in its 27th year, drew in a record-setting 47 competitors, with top honors going to Pavilion 8 Center, Rhoads 5, Silverstein 9, Ravdin 9, and Pavilion 9 Center.
The volunteer committee also delivered more than 600 wrapped, insulated water tumblers for patients who were in the hospital on Christmas Day.
Abrahamsohn Christmas and Easter Committee volunteers
Outside the hospital, the Nursing Network Center made many children, families, and pets very happy, thanks to the generosity of the HUP nursing staff. The center delivered at least a carload’s worth of clothing, toys, and gift cards to the Lutheran Settlement House/Jane Addams Foundation and The Living Word Evangelistic Missionary Church, as well as new and gently used pet toys, bedding, leashes, harnesses, and lots of food to Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS).
Many other HUP divisions led charitable drives to support organizations in the community. Thank you for all your efforts!