1. family and parenting
2. children

A Publication of St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation • Showing the positive impact your gifts make in the lives of children.
Spring 2013
In this issue:
2 | The Frontline for Hope
Premieres on Local TV
A six-episode docu-series
on St. Louis Children’s Hospital
airs on KSDK NewsChannel 5
3 | 2013 Events to Benefit
Children’s Hospital
Save the date for these
fun events that do what’s
right for kids
4 | Heart of the Matter
Patients with genetic heart
disease will benefit from new
research supported by the
Children’s Discovery Institute
8 | Ensuring a Bright Future
for Kids
Friends Board President
Renee Bell is committed to the
Children’s Hospital mission
dont flop back panel
Meet Nate
Rodericka Hickman knew something wasn’t right with her 7-year-old son, Nate. He was
gaining weight and not acting like himself. Over the next year, Rodericka took Nate to a
number of doctor visits and tests in an effort to understand what was happening to him.
Her persistence eventually led
Nate’s pediatrician to send him to
St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Once at
Children’s, doctors ordered a CT scan, which
revealed a mass near Nate’s chest and neck.
His doctors, Fred Huang, MD, a Washington
University pediatric oncologist, and Leili
Dolatshahi, MD, a pediatric oncology fellow,
diagnosed Nate with T-cell Lymphoma. Rare
in children, T-cell lymphoma is
a blood cancer.
Nate’s chemotherapy
began right away. He
received his treatment
as an outpatient in
the hospital’s Hale
Irwin Center for
Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, a
comfortable space for children and their
families to receive specialized treatment.
“Nate is crazy about the nurses, and they are
crazy about him,” says Rodericka.
“Sometimes he asks questions
about the disease and the
treatments, but the doctors
are very good at helping us
all to understand.”
—Rodericka Hickman
“He likes to be called ‘King Nate’, a name
a staff member created because all the
nurses and staff like him so much.” Rodericka
says that ever since he was first hospitalized,
Nate and his family have been treated like
royalty.
Since his initial diagnosis, Nate has
been treated with five different types of
chemotherapy. He has remained strong
throughout all his treatments. “Sometimes
he asks questions about the disease and the
treatments, but the doctors are very good at
helping us all to understand,” explains
Rodericka. “You would never know that he
was sick.”
continued on page 8
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DID YOU KNOW? Your support helps St. Louis Children’s Hospital offer
several community outreach programs that, combined, provide nearly
50,000 additional services in medicine, dentistry, health education,
prevention and safety.
Hospital Debuts 6-Part TV Series
A documentary-style series highlighting
the patients and staff of St. Louis Children’s
Hospital debuted March 16th on KSDK.
The Frontline for Hope will run in halfhour weekly episodes Saturday nights, from
March 16-April 20 at 6:30 p.m. The series
follows several patients, families and hospital
staff throughout their personal hospital
journeys. The entire series is a co-production
between St. Louis-based Coolfire Media and
Coolfire Originals, which currently has six
shows in production on television networks
including Oprah’s OWN, the Discovery
“Unless you have a sick child
and experience it firsthand, it
can be difficult to comprehend
the situations or extent of what
occurs here every day.”
—Steve Kutheis, St. Louis Children’s Hospital
director of marketing
Channel and NickMom.
Coolfire’s team set up an office at the
hospital in July 2012, which became their
on-site production hub while they
documented the stories of nearly two dozen
patients from as close as St. Louis city and
St. Charles county, and as far away as
Dublin, Ireland.
“If anyone has grown up in St. Louis
they know the critical role St. Louis Children’s
Hospital plays in the community. What we
now realize is that their community really
spans the globe,” says Jeff Keane, CEO,
Coolfire Originals and lifelong St. Louisan.
“It’s an honor to work with Children’s to
tell these stories.”
Camera crews observed what really
happens when a child is transported to the
ER after a critical injury; they spent months
at bedsides learning how families cope with
profound illness, and how bravely children
fight through it; they spoke candidly with
physicians and staff about triumph and loss.
“Unless you have a sick child and
experience it firsthand, it can be difficult to
comprehend the situations or extent of what
occurs here every day,” says Steve Kutheis,
director of marketing at St. Louis Children’s
Hospital. “We wanted something that gave a
true-to-life, in-depth and very personal view
of our staff and Washington University
physicians, and how they help patients
and families.”
Hospital leadership saw this series as
an opportunity to provide the public with an
unprecedented glimpse inside its doors and
into its culture. “Community support is critical
for us to be able to fulfill our mission,” says
Janice Bailey, vice president of St. Louis
Children’s Hospital Foundation. “It’s
important that the community understand
the scope of what we do.”
Stay tuned to KSDK Newschannel 5 on
Saturday nights now through April 20 to
watch The Frontline for Hope. Full episodes,
bios on the cast and additional content can
be viewed on the show’s website,
www.childrensforhope.com.
Children’s Hospital’s Annual Day
at Six Flags Celebrates 30 Years
Join hundreds of families for the “best way to kick off the summer”
St. Louis Children’s Hospital will celebrate the 30th Anniversary of its Annual Day
at Six Flags on Friday, May 31. On this special day, the park closes early to the
public and only guests of Children’s Hospital are allowed inside, with full
access to all the fun that Six Flags has to offer. And with only 3,600 tickets sold, The King Family visits with Looney Toons characters at the 2012
Children’s Hospital Day at Six Flags
there is never a line to experience the excitement of Six Flags rides!
In addition, guests are treated to a complimentary dinner, unlimited
popcorn, soda, pretzels, funnel cake and ice cream, free arcade and video
games, free parking and more.
“This event has truly become the favorite way to start the summer for
hundreds of local families,” says 2013 Six Flags Chair, Ryan Davis. “My father
chaired the first annual St. Louis Children’s Hospital Day at Six Flags, and I
feel privileged to chair the event in its 30th year.”
Proceeds from tickets sold at the event benefit various programs and
services at St. Louis Children’s Hospital including the Family Resource Center,
Music Therapy, Healthy Kids Express and more. Over the last 30 years, the Six
Flags event has raised nearly $10 million to support hospital programs.
For more information or to buy tickets, visit
StLouisChildrens.org/SixFlags or contact Karen Rieker at
[email protected] or 314.286.0995.
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DID YOU KNOW? St. Louis Children’s Hospital is the world’s leading center for pediatric lung
transplants, having performed almost 400 lung and heart-lung transplant procedures since
the program’s inception in 1990.
Mark Your Calendar
Supporting St. Louis Children’s Hospital is easy and
fun when you attend one of our annual events.
Visit StLouisChildrens.org for full event details.
Spring Event Table Tops Luncheon at the Ritz-Carlton—
Thursday, April 18
This annual luncheon and shopping
experience features unique and
beautiful displays of table-top
decorations by some of St. Louis’ finest
florists, decorators and vendors.
Joe Buck Golf Classic at Old Warson Country Club—
Monday, May 13
Hosted by nationally-renowned sportscaster, Joe Buck, the Joe Buck
Classic golf tournament has become one of the nation’s premier
charity golf tournaments.
30th Annual Day at Six Flags St. Louis—Friday, May 31
A family tradition for many, this event allows our special guests
to enjoy the park all to themselves after the public is cleared out
at 7 p.m. Guests also enjoy a catered dinner and unlimited snacks
throughout the park.
Teaming Up for Kids—September 1-30, 2013
Local businesses join forces to raise money for Children’s Hospital and
Cardinals Care through this pin-up promotion. Stay tuned to find out
where you can purchase “Teaming Up for Kids” pin-ups.
Pedal the Cause—Sunday, October 6
Pedal the Cause is a community-wide fundraising
bike challenge for riders of all ages and abilities.
All proceeds stay in St. Louis to fund cancer research
through the Children’s Discovery Institute at St. Louis
Children’s Hospital and the Cancer Frontier Fund
benefiting the Siteman Cancer Center.
Carousel—Saturday, November 2
This biennial black-tie gala will be held at the Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis
and is not to be missed! Funds raised
will benefit St. Louis Children’s
Hospital’s Healthy Kids Express—the
first dedicated pediatric mobile health
program in the region.
“We’re Together for KIDstruction Week”
Local construction companies raise $215,000 for Children’s Hospital
Thanks to more than 1,750 local
Thank you to our 2012 KIDstruction Week sponsors and participating companies:
tradesworkers and construction company
Bronze Sponsor
Bloomsdale Excavating
L. Keeley Construction
employees, more than $200,000 was raised
Kwame Building Group, Inc.
Carpenters’ District Council of
MTA Joint Venture (Massman,
during St. Louis Children’s Hospital’s
Lakenan Insurance
Greater St. Louis and Vicinity *
Traylor, Alberici)*
KIDstruction Week in July 2012. “We are
Castle Contracting *
McCarthy Building Companies*
Star Sponsor
C.E.
Jarrell
Contracting
Company
Murphy
so proud of the St. Louis construction
Cross Rhodes Reprographics, Inc.
CLAYCO*
Musick Construction Company
community for banding together for such
Erb Equipment Co.
Corrigan
Company
Mechanical
Niehaus*
an important cause,” says Rich Ledbetter,
KA Pazdera Hauling and
Contractors
Paric*
president of Castle Contracting and chair
Excavating, LLC
Environmental
Contracting,
Inc.
PayneCrest Electric*
Rebar Specialist, Inc.
of KIDstruction Week. “When asked to
Environmental Consultants, LLC. *
Rhodey Construction*
contribute $1 or more for each hour they
2012 KIDstruction Week
Environmental Operations, Inc.
Rock Hill Mechanical Corp.*
worked during KIDstruction Week, our teams Companies
Goodwin Brothers Construction Co.* Sachs Electric Company
really stepped up to the plate to do what’s
ADB Utility Contractors
Grant Masonry Contracting
Schaeffer Electric Company*
right for kids.”
Advanced Environmental Services*
Guarantee Electric
Thomas Industrial Coatings
Alberici *
Funds raised through KIDstruction Week
H.B.D. Contracting, Inc.
T.J. Wies Contracting
Aschinger Electric Company
will support important hospital programs
Helmkamp Construction Co.
Vision Electric & Systems
Beckerle Consultants, Inc.
including the Pediatric Neurocritical Care
Horizon Engineering
Wiegmann Associates*
Bell Electrical Contractors
Program, Family
Icon Mechanical
Wies Drywall & Construction*
Bi-State Fire Protection
Kozeny-Wagner*
Resource Center,
Music Therapy
* Cornerstone Companies that have committed to matching their employees' gifts dollar for dollar,
or have made a corporate donation of $10,000 or more.
and more.
Gifts Spring 2013 StLouisChildrens.org/giving 888.559.9699
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Heart of the Matter
Institute-funded research is ‘getting to the heart’ of a rare genetic disorder
19-year-old Tim Schmitt has many hobbies and interests, many
of which were showcased on a holiday tree created in his honor at
St. Louis Children’s Hospital’s Children’s Holiday Festival in December
2012. As one of 27 hospital patients honored at the event, Tim
beamed with excitement and pride.
St. Louis Children’s Hospital has been part of Tim’s family since he
was born with Williams syndrome—a genetic condition that affects
nearly 30,000 people in the
United States.
Beth Kozel, MD, PhD, feels
very fortunate to work with
children and adults like Tim who
have Williams syndrome. Sociable
and uninhibited, these kids aren’t afraid to approach strangers and
strike up a conversation. “It’s fun to be their doctor, because every
child is such a delight,” says Dr. Kozel, a Washington University
genetics specialist at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and a Children’s
Discovery Institute Faculty Scholar.
But there's a flip side. Williams syndrome can cause a range of
problems, including developmental delays, narrowing of the blood
vessels, and heart failure, where the heart can’t adequately pump
blood to the rest of the body. Only a small percentage of children
with this rare genetic disorder will develop life-threatening vascular
disease, but it's very difficult to predict which ones will be affected.
“We need to do a better job of giving parents an idea of which parts
of the condition they need to worry about, and which ones are not
relevant to the child, so they can focus their energy on the right
things,” Dr. Kozel says.
By combining animal models with human studies, Dr. Kozel is
investigating genetic factors that influence the severity of vascular
disease in patients with Williams syndrome. Through the Faculty
Scholar Award given by the Children’s Discovery Institute, she has
identified genes that regulate blood vessel narrowing and control
disease severity in mice. “The Institute’s Faculty Scholar award will
allow me to apply my experience in mouse genetics to human
studies, which is new for me,” Dr. Kozel says.
To translate the findings to patients, she is collaborating with
the Williams Syndrome Association. By collecting DNA samples from
these children, she hopes to identify biomarkers that would indicate
the severity of vascular disease. Unlike the standard approach of
using an echocardiogram, the new biomarkers would predict what
will happen in the
future rather than
simply read out the
current biological
state of patients.
“Our approach
would help us to
stratify patients into
groups based on
what type of
monitoring they will
need and determine
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Diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder called Williams
syndrome, Tim (pictured here in the center with family
and friends at the 2012 Children’s Holiday Festival)
could benefit from a study funded by the Children’s
Discovery Institute.
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which medications should be used to control blood vessel problems,”
Dr. Kozel says.
As for Tim, he is a shining example of the power of optimism. He
underwent a kidney transplant at Children’s Hospital in 2008 and has
since visited the hospital regularly for follow-up appointments. With a
zest for life, a love of music and the St. Louis Cardinals, Tim is grateful
to his hospital family for helping him thrive in a world where there
are so many things to enjoy.
For more information about the Children’s Discovery Institute,
visit ChildrensDiscovery.org.
Children’s Hospital patient Isaiah Buggs was honored with his very
own tree at the Holiday Festival decorated with his favorite candy,
cartoon characters and more.
A Festival of Trees
Children’s Holiday Festival brightens the season
for patients and families
The 2012 Children’s Holiday Festival, held December 8 at the
Renaissance Grand St. Louis, was a whimsical evening filled with
holiday cheer, elaborately decorated trees, festive entertainment,
cocktails and hors d’oeuvres—all to support the kids at St. Louis
Children’s Hospital!
The highlight of the event was the display of Honorary
Patient Trees, which were decorated in honor of patients at
St. Louis Children’s Hospital. The trees were presented to the
honorary patients at a breakfast and featured at the Children’s
Holiday Festival Gala that evening. Following the event, the
trees were delivered to the patients’ homes to brighten their
holiday season.
“The event was amazing,” says LaToya Buggs, mom of
honorary patient, Isaiah Buggs. “All the beautifully-decorated
trees transformed an ordinary hotel conference room into an
unbelievable, enchanting
experience. All that was missing
were some glass slippers,
because it seemed like such
a fairytale.”
DID YOU KNOW? Founded in 1879, St. Louis Children’s Hospital is the oldest pediatric hospital
west of the Mississippi River and was initially located in a rented house with only 15 beds.
Friends Share Holiday Cheer
Love Light Festival
The Friends of St. Louis Children’s
Hospital once again helped bring magic and
holiday cheer to hospital patients during the
2012 Love Light Festival, an annual tradition
for more than 20 years.
At the event on November 27, patients
and their families were treated to an
afternoon of celebrations. The Love Light
Festival included delicious food for families,
room visits from cartoon characters and
sports celebrities, a visit and gifts from Santa,
a magic show, and an official ceremony to
Friends Board Member, Libby Donnell and
Friends Event Chair and hostess, Mary Riew
enjoy some seasonal cheer at the Holiday Tea.
switch on the holiday lights decorating the
hospital and grounds. This year, 7-year-old
Nate Hickman had the honor of "flipping the
big switch" to turn on the holiday lights.
A special thank you to Joan Perotti, Love
Light Chair; the Friends of St. Louis Children’s
Hospital; and the entire team of hospital staff
and community volunteers that participated.
Their hard work and dedication made the
event a sparkling success!
Holiday Tea
Another annual tradition for the Friends
of St. Louis Children’s Hospital is Holiday
Tea—a chance for Friends members and
guests to learn more about the wonderful
work being done by the Friends in support
of St. Louis Children’s Hospital’s mission.
The Friends Holiday Tea was held
December 5 at the home of Dan and Mary
Riew. More than 100 guests celebrated the
holiday season and enjoyed cookies baked
by Friends board members and members of
the Youth Council (see Youth Council story
on page 7). A special thank you to Mary
Riew, chair of this year’s event.
The Friends of St. Louis Children’s
Hospital is a volunteer organization
committed to fundraising, service and
advocacy. For more information about
joining the Friends, please contact Abby
Edwards at 314.286.1549 or
[email protected].
“King Nate” (featured on cover) and Lee Fetter
pose for a photo before switching on the hospital’s
holiday lights at the 2012 Love Light Festival.
Cornbread’s Kids Crusade Success
3rd annual on-air event raises more than $113,000
It was another ‘crusade’ to remember! On December 20 and 21, beloved WIL radio
personality Cornbread dedicated his morning radio show to Cornbread’s Kids Crusade, a
28-hour on-air event to raise money for St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Cornbread’s morning
show team and more than 75 dedicated volunteer “elves” fielded calls from generous donors
wanting to help.
“The stories I hear about families helped and the lives of children saved by St. Louis
Children’s Hospital, they just fill my heart,” says Cornbread. “We have one of best pediatric
hospitals in the country and we have to do everything we can to make it as strong
as possible.”
In its third year, funds raised from Cornbread’s Kids Crusade will benefit the hospital’s
Pediatric Neurocritical Care Program (PNCP). The PNCP at St. Louis Children’s Hospital
provides diagnosis and treatment to critically ill children with traumatic brain injury,
which is the leading cause death and disability in children in the United States.
Special thanks goes to fundraising sponsors Jack in the Box and Johnny
Londoff Chevrolet; Cornbread; the WIL staff; and the many volunteers who manned
the phone bank.
Because of their efforts, the annual event raised more than $113,000 for St. Louis
Children’s Hospital!
Through the generosity of WIL listeners, Cornbread’s Kids
Crusade has raised more than $600,000 in its first three years.
Gifts Spring 2013 StLouisChildrens.org/giving 888.559.9699
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Thanks to You!
The following is a list of some of the recent fundraisers held by various
organizations, businesses and individuals to support Children’s Hospital’s mission.
Over the past seven years, 97.1 FM Talk
has raised more than $50,000 to support
St. Louis Children’s Hospital through their
annual 97.1 FM Talk Golf Tournament. The
radio station’s 2013 golf tournament will be
held this spring.
The 2nd annual Sean’s Trail Run was a
great success. Held in memory of former
Children’s Hospital patient, Sean Niebrugge,
organizers raised $5,000 for the hospital’s
Family Care Fund. This fund helps families
going through tough times by providing gas,
food and hotel vouchers while their children
are receiving treatment at the hospital.
Last summer’s 5th Annual Brent Bergheger
Chrysler Dodge Golf Tournament raised
more than $15,000 for cancer research at
St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Since its
inception, the tournament has raised more
$60,000. The 2013 tournament is scheduled
for Friday, June 28.
Abigale’s Way of Life was created in
memory of former Children’s Hospital
patient, Abigale Sue Tipton. On August 18,
Abigale’s parents, Greg
and Mindy (pictured
here with their son
and NICU nurse Lynn
McMurtury) hosted a
dinner dance with live
and silent auction and
raffles and raised
$9,000 to support the NICU at Children’s
Hospital.
It was a festival of fun at the 2012
fuNFest to raise awareness for
neurofibromatosis (NF), a genetic disorder
that causes tumors to grow on nerves in the
brain and throughout the body. The 2nd
Annual event held in September raised
$35,000 for NF research at St. Louis Children’s
Hospital. Families in attendance enjoyed a
silent auction, face painting, a bounce house,
raffle and Cow Patty Bingo!
Pictured above (back row, L-R): Marie Battle and
Patti Ottenlips, program specialists, St. Louis
Children’s Hospital; Nicole Kozma, Manager of
Advocacy and Outreach, St. Louis Children’s
Hospital; Bruce Mueller, store manager, Kohl's
Department Store; Clem Smith, Representative,
Missouri House of Representatives; Maria
Chappelle-Nadal, Missouri State Senator;
and (front row) students of Barack Obama
Elementary School.
Thanks to Kohl’s Cares, an initiative of Kohl’s
Department Stores, more than $150,000 was
raised in 2012 to support the Kohl’s Safety
Street program through St. Louis Children’s
Hospital’s Advocacy and Outreach
department. Kohl’s donates 100 percent
of the net profit from its Kohl’s Cares
merchandise—which includes seasonal
plush characters, books and more—to
partner hospitals. A check of $150,947 was
presented to the Safety Street program with
help from students at Barack Obama
Elementary School in Pine Lawn, MO.
Pedaling to Support Cancer Research
More than 1,850 people took to the
streets of St. Louis in October 2012 to “Pedal
the Cause” for local cancer research. The 2012
Pedal the Cause
cycling challenge,
founded in 2010 by
Bill Koman, raised
$1.5 million, 100
percent of which will
be used to fund
research at
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St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Siteman
Cancer Center.
“The money that St. Louisans raised
through Pedal the Cause will help fund
research projects, which may someday prove
vital in providing a cure for one or more
types of cancer,” says Jay Indovino, Pedal the
Cause executive director. “Last year’s
proceeds are currently at work funding 12
research projects, including four focused on
cures for cancers affecting children.”
Many of the participating teams were
Ride for a Child teams, who trained and rode
together while raising money in honor of
a pediatric patient. Cancer patients in this
program are under 18 and are currently
undergoing treatment or celebrating their
survival after receiving treatment at St. Louis
Children’s Hospital.
A special thanks to Pedal the Cause
sponsors, participants and the hundreds
of volunteers who helped make the event a
great success. The 2013 date for Pedal the
Cause has been set for Sunday, October 6.
DID YOU KNOW? A free service for the community and funded entirely by generous donations,
the Family Resource Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital provides valuable information to
more than 16,000 patrons a year. To contact the Family Resource Center, call 314.454.2350.
A Friend for All Time
Friends of St. Louis Children’s Hospital Chair Renee Bell is making
a long-lasting impact through a planned gift to the hospital
Despite a busy schedule that includes
running a business, Renee Bell makes sure
she finds time to devote to St. Louis
Children's Hospital as board chair of Friends,
a volunteer group that’s been raising funds
and providing service to the hospital since
1954. In addition to her gift of time,
Renee recently provided another gift.
She established a charitable remainder
trust with St. Louis Children's Hospital
as the beneficiary.
“When it came time for our family to give
consideration to our financial planning, it
was a very easy decision for us to look at
St. Louis Children’s Hospital,” says Renee,
president and CEO of Waterhout
Construction Company. “My husband,
Andrew and I have learned so much about
the hospital and are so very much
appreciative of the work that Children’s
Hospital provides. Unlike so many others, we
haven’t had a need—for which we’re so
thankful—but we certainly can relate and are
grateful for the advanced services provided
by Children’s Hospital.”
Renee explains that the St. Louis
Children’s Hospital Foundation helped
make the process for establishing a trust
simple. “We immediately felt even further
connected to St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
Communication and feedback about
what’s occurring at the hospital is
ongoing,” she adds.
After attending several hospital events,
Renee was encouraged by other Friends
board members to join. Now as chair, more
than six years after becoming a Friends
member, she will lead the organization
for the next two years.
“We are focused on service, advocacy
and fundraising,” she notes. “At our board
meetings, we invite staff from throughout
the hospital to speak, which brings us closer
and helps us feel even more a part of the
facility—it also helps remind us how lucky
we are to have such an amazing hospital
in our backyard.”
Renee Bell (far right) visits Camp Rhythm, a medicallysafe summer camp for children with heart conditions
supported by St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation.
New Youth Council:
Kids “Doing What’s Right for Kids”
As word gets out about the new Youth Council of St. Louis Children’s
Hospital, membership continues to grow.
Launched in 2012 by St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation, the
purpose of the council is to build young leaders to actively serve St. Louis
Children's Hospital in new, fun and innovative ways. This premier leadership
opportunity allows St. Louis community youth, grades 7-12, to participate
in hands-on service, fundraising, leadership and decision-making.
“We wanted to give kids in middle and high school the opportunity
to serve St. Louis Children’s Hospital in a meaningful way,” says Children’s
Hospital Foundation Director, Julie Reinke. “This age-group is our future,
and by getting them involved in service to the hospital now, we are hopeful
that they think of us as they get older and become more involved in giving
back to their community.”
When asked why he wanted to participate in the Youth Council, former
St. Louis Children’s Hospital patient and current Youth Council president
Cole Imbs answers simply, “I just want to do my part to give back.”
To learn more about the Youth Council and to download a membership
application, please visit StLouisChildrens.org/YouthCouncil.
Members of the Youth Council bake cookies to sell at the Friends of St. Louis
Children’s Hospital Holiday Tea.
Gifts Spring 2013 StLouisChildrens.org/giving 888.559.9699
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Meet Nate
continued from page 1
The Hickmans live in Belleville, Ill., a
40-minute drive to St. Louis Children’s
Hospital. Besides his parents, Nate lives
with his big brother Leon. Although the two
brothers are far apart in age, they are
inseparable. They especially like to compete
on the Wii, talk, take photos, watch movies
and even argue.
Nate’s mom describes her second grader
as vibrant, sometimes bossy and full of
energy. It was that energy and vibrant
personality that brought Children’s Hospital
staff to notice Nate and choose him as the
hospital’s Love Light Festival patient for 2012
(see Love Light Festival story on page 5).
Nate and Lee Fetter, president of St. Louis
Children's Hospital Foundation and BJC group
president, celebrated the holiday season
by turning on decorative lights inside and
outside the hospital at the 26th annual Love
Light Festival. In addition to the lighting
ceremony, local characters and sports
celebrities visited every patient room
to give gifts and well wishes.
While he loves feeling like royalty at
Children’s Hospital, Nate looks forward
to completing radiation treatments and
returning to his second-grade class. “Nate
likes to laugh, joke around and is very
inquisitive,” says Rodericka. “He is active, loves
any kind of sports, reading books and
math...and he just loves people.”
St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation
One Children’s Place
St. Louis, MO 63110
Spring 2013
Non-Profit
Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
St. Louis, MO
Permit No. 858
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stay connected!
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Because the price of printed materials can be costly and because we
want to stay in touch with you regularly, we encourage you to sign up for
e-gifts, our monthly email newsletter as a fun, easy way to stay connected!
Each month, you’ll meet a patient who has been helped because of
your support. You’ll learn the latest on recent events and we’ll offer you fun
opportunities to support the hospital.
To receive the e-gifts newsletter, simply send your name and email
address to Stephanie Perry at [email protected]. And, if you would rather
receive this Gifts magazine via email rather than in your mailbox, we can
update our records once you let us know. Thank you!
In addition to caring for our kids, we care about the environment they
live in. That is why this Gifts newsletter is printed at an SGP (sustainable
green printer) certified printer.
DID YOU KNOW? In 2010, St. Louis Children’s Hospital was redesignated
with the nation’s highest honor for nursing excellence, the Magnet
designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Only
2 percent of hospitals nationally have achieved this redesignation.