Published: November 22, 2008 11:09 pm         

Hospital staffers helping ‘Santa’

LAGRANGE, Ind. — Parkview LaGrange Hospital employees are partnering with “Santa Claus” to support the LaGrange Clothes and Food Basket’s Christmas Bureau this year.

The hospital’s Employee Fun Squad has spearheaded the drive, encouraging co-workers to help fill Santa’s bag with canned goods, paper products, toys and more.

“Members of the community who may be in the neighborhood are welcome to drop things off with Santa or stop by the gift shop to buy a paper ornament,” said Michael Charlier, chairman of the Employee Fun Squad. “We know the needs in the community are especially great this year. Every donation, no matter how small, will enable the Clothes and Food Basket to help someone in need.”

In addition to collecting food and toys, the Fun Squad is also selling paper ornaments through the gift shop and cafeteria to decorate a Christmas tree outside the cafeteria. Ornaments are sold for donations of $1 or more. All monies raised through ornament sales will be given to the Clothes and Food Basket to help purchase items of greatest need.

Parkview LaGrange emergency department staff have taken the drive one step further by challenging other hospital departments to collect as many new and gently used coats as they can.

The emergency room nurses will buy ice cream for all the employees of the department that donates the greatest number of coats per staff member.

Helping to support the nurses in their coat drive challenge are Price’s Laundry in LaGrange and Ludder’s Cleaners in Sturgis, Mich., both of which are donating their services to clean all of the gently used coats that are collected.