All Children's Hospital Foundation

Fall/Winter 2015

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RECENT HEADLINES PAINTED a distressing picture of Campbell Park and four other Pinellas County elementary schools, but local corporations and organizations are stepping in to help. All Children's Hospital Johns Hopkins Medicine has adopted Campbell Park Elementary, and hospital employees are mentoring more than 30 fourth and fifth grade girls to help them develop confidence and self-esteem that will guide them in making positive life choices. All Children's is partnering with the school to help refine and customize a district-wide program called Girlfriends of Pinellas County. In these efforts, the hospital is drawing upon several of its existing school and community outreach strategies to assist students in need of academic support and mentorship. The program is supported by parents, school administrators, teachers and community leaders. At Campbell Park, Girlfriends now offers multiple events and activities throughout the school year including an annual field trip to All Children's, giving the students hands-on opportunities to prepare healthy meals with Fit4Allkids staff, workshops on self-esteem and health issues led by Healthy Start and Child Life staff, and interaction with physicians, emergency room and the transport team. Other events will include cooking demonstrations at the school, individual and small-group mentoring, and a health fair for the entire school's student body and their families. An end-of-year graduation ceremony celebrates the girls' completion of the program and inspires them to continue their pursuit of success as they transition to middle school. "All Children's is determined to make a positive impact on the health of children in our community, especially for our closest neighbors at Campbell Park Elementary," explains Alizza Punzalan-Randle, ACH community engagement manager. "We would like to see the Girlfriends program at every school, and that requires mentors and a sustained commitment from concerned corporations and businesses. All Children's is fortunate to have employees and departments who not only care about children's health, but also about the educational success of the children in our community." In addition to its participation as a Girlfriends partner, the hospital supports Campbell Park in other ways. With assistance from the hospital's landscape vendor, employees recently volunteered to help landscape the school grounds for students and teachers to enjoy. The school's daily Walking School Bus was co-established by the hospital's Safe Routes to School program. Community health educators and clinical staff speak to students about important topics and medical career options during the Great American Teach-in event. The hospital is also exploring additional ways to connect with parents and mentor the young men at the school. PROVIDING KIDS WITH A FUTURE "We want to see all of our students flourish, and programs like Girlfriends are invaluable," says Campbell Park Girlfriends Coordinator Bettie Mack, who works at the school. "The reality is that Campbell Park is an economically challenged area. We want to show the girls that this may be where you started, but it doesn't have to be where you end up." All Children's offers Safe Sitter ® , a hands-on babysitter safety program that prepares young adolescents (tweens) for the responsibilities of nurturing and protecting younger children. Students in the Girlfriends program may participate in this program at no charge. Through Safe Sitter, the girls learn about child care essentials, injury management, preventing problem behavior, choking rescue, CPR and approaching babysitting as a business. "Financial experts from Raymond James spoke to the girls about opening a bank account and what it could mean to start saving money—that was huge for them," Mack continues. "Then they spoke to Dr. Pamela Love from the Emergency Center at All Children's. They were so excited and encouraged about the fact that Dr. Love is a young African-American woman. They could identify with her because she looked like someone they could be when they grow up. Programs like Girlfriends are what will help combat the statistics and keep them from failing. That's what we want for all our students." All Children's is reaching out to other area schools to explore how the hospital can get involved with their Girlfriends programs. All Children's programs like Healthy Start, Fit4Allkids, Florida Suncoast Safe Kids Coalition and Safe Routes to School play a big role in making the Girlfriends program successful. These programs also need volunteers and in-kind donations. If you would like to get involved in the Girlfriends program at Campbell Park Elementary or learn more about community relations programs at All Children's, please contact Alizza Punzalan-Randle at 727-767-6413. Amy Maguire, All Children's vice president of government, corporate and community relations, and other ACH employees teamed up with students for a day of volunteering. Fall/Winter 2015 23 Community ■

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