Dear Friends March 2021

FILL A CHILD'S EASTER BASKET

Want to help bring smiles to kids spending Easter in Children's Hospital? Donate $10 to buy an egg and The Commissary will give a hand-painted wooden egg to a patient AND MATCH your $10 gift. Each child can bring their egg back to The Commissary for complimentary name personalization. In 2016, Melissa Skelton, owner of The Commissary, felt a natural connection to partner with Friends of Children's Hospital to give Easter eggs to children receiving treatment at Batson Children's Hospital.  "I was blessed to have healthy babies that grew into healthy kids and now adults but I know quite a few families who were not as blessed. This hospital has meant the world to so many families in Mississippi, and the south, and as a merchant in the community I felt we could and should help in some way. Children should be treated special when they are facing illness because so many of them are young and don’t understand what is happening to them. These eggs are just a way for us to help them feel better and special about themselves," said Skelton. Founder of Olde Tyme Commissary, Sandra Weber, began painting wooden Easter eggs the year her youngest daughter was born. For multiple generations, and for many occasions, people have been collecting eggs. You can help keep the tradition going by donating an egg to brighten the life of a sick child.  

Buy Eggs

Be Brave for Kids! Do you have what it takes to go over the edge? The 5th Annual Over the Edge with Friends of Children’s Hospital will be the attraction you don’t want to miss April 17th.

Register

UP THE MOUNTAIN...DOWN THE BUILDING

Meagan Cline, mother of Carter, Baker and the late Elijah Cline is a Registered Nurse from Florence, MS who works in the Neonatal ICU at Children's of Mississippi and St. Dominic Hospital. Before signing up to go Over the Edge, Meagan’s greatest adventure took place in October 2020 on an unforgettable trip to Jackson Hole, WY. While there, she hiked 16.3 strenuous miles alone through the highest altitude pass in the Teton Mountains, taking her nearly 8 hours to complete. Megan is going Over the Edge with Friends of Children’s Hospital in honor of Carter, Baker, her ‘work babies' and in memory of Eli. In 2015, the Cline family unexpectedly said their final goodbyes to Eli. "The staff and my coworkers at Blair E. Batson were absolutely amazing and Batson will always be close to my heart,” said Cline. Meagan is looking forward to April 17 when she embarks on her next unforgettable adventure rappelling down 5 stories to raise funds for Friends. To donate to her fundraising efforts text Brave4Kids51 to 71777 or click here. "I feel that part of my calling has been to share the compassion I was shown during my son's death to the infants I take care of at Blair E. Batson.”

To support children like Eli, and Be Brave for Kids like Meagan, visit overtheedgewithfriends.com or click below. SIGN UP

SAVE THE DATE Join us August 28th at the Mississippi Museum of Art for the end-of-summer celebration sure to please. Expect an 'Enchanted Evening' of fabulous food, music and fundraising for the kids. For sponsorship and host information, email friends@friendsofch.org.

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