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First Lady's Program
Giving the Gift of Hope, Life and Dreams
 First Lady Charlene McGuire’s fundraising program “Giving the Gift of Hope, Life and Dreams,” will benefit children who need emergency transportation to one of the Shriners Hospitals for Children specializing in expert burn care.Proceeds from her yearlong initiative will be donated to Shriners Hospitals for Children’s emergency patient transportation fund, which helps sponsoring Shriners International temples (chapters) cover transportation costs for burn patients when needed. Since the early 1960s, when Shriners Hospitals for Children first began offering pediatric burn treatment, thousands of patients have been given a second chance to lead productive lives, thanks to the expert medical care they received at these state-of-the-art hospitals. When children experience burn injuries, receiving the kind of multidisciplinary pediatric burn care available at Shriners Hospitals for Children is paramount to their overall recovery. Since their injuries can be severe and even life-threatening, burn patients often require transportation to Shriners Hospitals for Children in medically equipped airplanes with medical professionals on board to monitor them. “It’s clear that the costs for these flights are escalating,” said First Lady Charlene McGuire. “Often, temples have to make arrangements to transport a burned child to one of our hospitals immediately, so the funding has to be there. Many temples may not have funds to cover these emergency transportation costs. Proceeds from my program will help meet this important need.” In 2008 alone, the Shriners Hospitals for Children emergency patient transportation fund provided $670,000 for medical air flights for 45 burn patients. And, the cost for these medical air flights is rising every year. Since 2005, the average cost for each of these flights has increased by approximately $5,000. “There is a tremendous need to increase the financial resources available through the emergency patient transportation fund,” said Peter Armstrong, M.D., chief medical officer for Shriners Hospitals for Children. “The more quickly a child with a severe burn injury reaches one of our hospitals, the better outcomes he or she will have, thanks to the advanced medical care they receive there.” As First Lady Charlene makes her visits throughout the Imperial Year, she asks that in lieu of personal gifts, nobles and ladies make a donation to “Giving the Gift of Hope, Life and Dreams.” With each donation of $25, they will receive their choice of a beautiful silver and gold lady’s pin, or a handsome gentleman’s tie featuring the “Editorial Without Words” image. Completed order forms may be given to the Imperial Potentate or the First Lady. Order forms, along with donations made payable to Shriners Hospitals for Children, can also be mailed to Shriners International Headquarters, First Lady’s Program, Donor Relations Department, P.O. Box 31356, Tampa, FL., 33631. Canadian order forms and donations may be sent to Shriners Hospitals for Children — Canada, 1529 Cedar Ave., Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3G 1A6. Additional order forms and envelopes can be obtained from the donor relations department at Shriners International Headquarters by calling (800) 241-4438 or by sending an e-mail to donorrelations.@shrinenet.org. Donations to the program can also be made online at www.donate2shc.org/firstlady. Materials to promote the First Lady's program are available here. |
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Shriners International Headquarters
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