Rite Aid Foundation donates $2.3M in grants to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals
The Rite Aid Foundation this week announced a $2.3 million donation to the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals nationwide through its KidCents Grant Program. The grants are aimed at enabling children’s hospitals to further efforts focused on improving the health of children in the communities where Rite Aid operates.
“Rite Aid and The Rite Aid Foundation have been passionate supporters of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals for 25 years. Through our annual in-store Miracle Balloon Campaign and other special events, we’ve raised more than $92 million for local children’s hospitals,” said Tracy Henderson, director of the Rite Aid Foundation and charitable giving initiatives. “We are excited to expand the reach of our partnership and help local children’s hospitals make an even greater difference in their communities.”
The individual grants, which were awarded to children’s hospitals in targeted communities, range from $49, 124 to $300,000 to support existing programs or initiatives. Among the hospitals receiving funding is the Penn State Children’s Hospital in Hershey, Pa., for its program that gives scholarships to children with special medical needs to attend one of 11 medical camps that offer outdoor experiences in a medically safe environment.
“We want to thank The Rite Aid Foundation for this incredible gift to fund medical camps for Penn State Children’s Hospital patients. With this donation, we will be able to send more than 250 kids to 11 camps next summer. These specialized camps provide kids a week without limits,” said Deborah Berini, president of Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. “Whether kids have a ventilator, battle a heart condition, or deal with a behavioral challenge, these campers have the chance to swim, rock climb and meet new friends who are just like them in an environment that is medically safe. Rite Aid’s increased support of camps is such a meaningful way to celebrate the company’s 25-year partnership with Penn State Children’s Hospital. Thank you for giving kids the gift of growing up.”
Other recipients included the Seattle Children’s Hospital for its science education outreach efforts; the Akron Children’s Hospital, which runs a Safe Sleep campaign in partnership with community partners to give Safe Sleep Kits to at-risk families who also participate in an education session about Ohio guidelines on safe sleep and instruction on crib setup and assembly.
Rite Aid has been supporting Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals for a quarter of a century. Every year, Rite Aid associates from across the country come together to raise money through the annual Miracle Balloon Campaign. In 2018, the campaign raised $4.5 million for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals to help administer life-saving care, purchase medical equipment and provide critical funds to more than 90 hospitals located in Rite Aid communities.