Tag Archives: Gillette Fundraising
From Patient Family to Gillette Nurse
At Gillette, we believe our staff members are something special. The compassion and care they provide to our patients is remarkable. In some cases, that compassion grows from a unique understanding of what our families are going through—because many of our employees are also patient families.
Take, for example, Eleesha Hruza, a Gillette nurse. In 2005, Eleesha gave birth to her son, Javier, in Bemidji, Minnesota. When Javier was a month old, he contracted a severe infection and was hospitalized for more than a month.
Eleesha and Javier
“Medical professionals told me his outlook was bleak,” says Eleesha. “Very few professionals believed Javier would even survive his first year of life.” He was eventually diagnosed with cerebral palsy, and at 18 months he was referred to Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare.
“I had never heard of Gillette, and didn’t know what to expect,” says Eleesha. “When we arrived for our first appointment, I was blown away. I was given a thorough education about Javier’s disability, and was told he would have a happy and healthy future. What a gift for someone to believe in him!”
Over the next year, Javier saw medical specialists at Gillette, and his health dramatically improved. His Gillette medical team took pride in his triumphs and never lost hope. Today Javier is a happy, healthy, 7-year-old first grader.
“The Gillette nurses who cared for Javier inspired me to become a nurse,” says Eleesha. “And now I work at Gillette as a full-time registered nurse, doing my best to help other children the way those nurses helped Javier.”
Eleesha adds, “I can say with great conviction that the people who work at Gillette are the most committed and caring group I have ever known. I hold myself to these standards because I want to give each patient and family the kind of care that Javier and I received. I’m asking people to support this wonderful hospital because I know on a very personal level the importance of the work we do.”
Collect Change, Help Kids, Have Fun!
Last December, the 12th annual KS95 for Kids Radiothon broadcast through a record-setting blizzard to raise money for Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare and Children’s Cancer Research Fund. Although the blizzard didn’t dampen our spirits, it did, unfortunately, influence the number of call-in donations we received. We still need an additional $125,000 to meet our fundraising goal.
Sign Up Now to Collect. Then, Party with KS95 This Spring!
Help us continue the KS95 for Kids momentum — and regain the dollars lost because of the blizzard — by participating in KS95 for Kids Change for Kids™. Like the radiothon, the change collection program raises funds that benefit both Gillette and Children’s Cancer Research Fund.
Visit KS95’s Change for Kids webpage for details and to sign up. We’ll hold a change collection day at the Mall of America on Sunday, March 6. Participants who raise $100 or more will earn free tickets to an exclusive Nickelodeon Universe party with KS95 on Sunday, April 3.
Extra Change Means Extra Tickets
There’s no need to stop at $100. The more an individual collector, school or organization raises, the more free tickets will be earned. So why wait? Sign up, and start collecting, now!
