 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
BLUE Reach - A Day at Cincinnati Children's Hospital MLB Umpire Marvin Hudson visited Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center on Friday, June 16th. He gave away Build-A-Bear® stuffed animals as well as a few baseballs and bats to kids coping with injury or illness.
Lisa Hall of the Child Life/Recreational Therapy Department of the hospital served as Hudson's guide as they went to more than 20 patient rooms. Marvin presented each patient with their choice of a Build-A-Bear “Cuddly Bear”, “Playful Puppy”, or “Tabby Kitty”. "It is terrific to see the smiles on faces from the kids and parents alike", said Hudson. "Build-A-Bear® makes a wonderful product. Kids and parents love everything involved from choosing the stuffed animal, to dressing it, to coming up with a name and writing it on the birth certificate." In addition to stuffed animals, Marvin signed a number of baseballs and bats for children with a love for the game of baseball. One lucky patient scheduled to be released shortly after meeting Marvin even received four tickets to the Saturday Reds game.
The hospital visit was made possible by fundraising efforts of people in and around the Cincinnati area. BLUE for Kids supporters Mike Hiatt and Mike Goodlett encouraged friends to join them by asking friends, family, and co-workers to donate the cost of a stuffed animal. The fundraiser, called Mike and Mike's Great American 'Get Stuffed' Campaign, was a terrific success. In return for their efforts, fund-raisers were invited to Great American Ballpark to watch the Reds take on the World Champion Chicago White Sox. Marvin spent time with the group prior to the game where he spoke about the creation of BLUE for Kids and meeting the children at Cincinnati Children's Hospital earlier that day. "I want to thank each and every one of you for making our BLUE Reach hospital event possible", said Hudson. "Some children we met today are going through incredibly challenging times. Parents and siblings share in these challenges. You are responsible for a great many smiles and diversion from the negativity of a traumatic hospital experience."
A Reds victory would make for the ideal thank you to fund-raisers but the White Sox would have none of it. After Rich Aurilia's three-run homer in the first, the Reds managed only one more run the rest of the game. The White Sox pounded the Reds 12-4. Still, everyone had a fun evening out at the park. BLUE for Kids would like to express our appreciation for the efforts of each fund-raiser. They include Mike and Lisa Hiatt, Mike and Melissa Goodlett, Carla and Paul Dyer, Roy Crowthers, Darrell Fitzwater, and Anthony Rose. A special thanks to Anthony Rose who raised over $300 for BLUE for Kids and is assisting with efforts for expanding our ticket programs to children in foster care. BLUE for Kids would also like to recognize Lisa Hall and Danielle Lewis of Cincinnati Children's Hospital, for all their hard work and patience. Both went above and beyond to assist in pre-event planning and event day organization. We received the following written feedback after the events and would like to share it with you: "Marvin, it was a pleasure for me to help you and BLUE for Kids. You have a true heart and it's an honor to be associated with someone like you. It's a great feeling to know that we could make a difference and have such a great time doing it." "It was a privilege and honor to be able to participate in the 'Get Stuffed' Campaign. It certainly is rewarding to hear from Marvin that we all made a difference in the spirits of children who are experiencing difficult times. The Get Stuffed Campaign and Blue For Kids, led by Marvin Hudson and his staff, is a great opportunity for everyone to make a difference. I look forward to participating and contributing whenever I can."
"Marvin, we all had a great time at the Reds game. Everyone enjoyed meeting you and helping out Blue For Kids. Anytime you can put a smile on a child's face it is a good cause. Can't wait to do it again next year. Keep up the great work!"
"The game was a great opportunity to meet other BLUE for Kids participants and share in a common goal. It was such an honor to meet Marvin and hear a brief overview of how our efforts lifted the spirits of several children. I can not think of a better person to represent BLUE for Kids and could feel his genuine desire and passion to help alleviate the stress and strain that these children felt. I can't wait until next year and have already begun thinking of new ways to obtain donations for more bears." "Marvin, BLUE for Kids is a great organization that is committed to bringing smiles to children's faces. You are truly genuine and have a heart of gold. I really enjoyed working with you for this event!" "Thanks for making the day brighter for a lot of our
patients!!! You guys were great!! I have been taking special visitors
around to see the patients for over 7 years and Marvin was one of the best. He was wonderful with the patients and he seemed to be very comfortable in this hospital environment."
|
Cincinnati Children's Hospital was named among the 10 best pediatric hospitals in the United States, according to 
Along the way, Marvin met many wonderful people who care for the kids on a daily basis. Child Life specialists Nicolette Petrisko, Robyn Snyder, and Cathy Meyer are three such people. Child Life Specialists are professionally trained to support kids and parents by providing therapeutic play and developmentally appropriate activities for patients; educating and preparing children for medical procedures; and serving as a resource for parents. 
After meeting for twenty minutes, Marvin posed for pictures and gave everyone a game ball with words of appreciation written just above his signature. As he left to prepare for the evening game, everyone grabbed food and drinks then headed for their seats. After all, there was still a game to play. 
 |
Photos from the BLUE Reach hospital event at Cincinnati Children's Hospital
Photos from Fund-raiser Appreciation Night
|
