TODAY news - April 4, 2002

Thursday, April 4, 2002 TODAY

Loma Linda University Children's Hospital news

Tri-County Escrow Association makes donation to LLUCH

Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital executive director Patti Cotton Pettis (right) accepts a $3,500 check from members of Tri-County Escrow Association. Pictured (from left) are Vicki Welsch, association president; Mayra Silva, association treasurer; Cynthia Fletcher, association past president; and Carolyn Lamascus (second from right), association past president. Representing the pediatric patients at the Children’s Hospital is Staceey Key (center), who was discharged from the hospital on the same day.

Representatives from the Tri-County Escrow Association recently presented a check in the amount of $3,550 to Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital, according to Patti Cotton Pettis, executive director of the Children’s Hospital Foundation.

“This is the second year that the Tri-County Escrow Association has supported the Children’s Hospital,” Ms. Pettis says.

Following a tour of the Children’s Hospital, the Tri-County Escrow Association representatives were hosted by Ms. Pettis at a luncheon.

The Tri-County Escrow Association raised the funds donated to the Children’s Hospital through a silent auction, states Carolyn Lamascus, past president of the association and organizer of the event.

“Members of our association donated items including televisions, DVD players, VCR players, gift baskets, gift certificates, a $500 travel certificate, Nintendo and PlayStation games, a queen-size box spring and mattress, and other items,” Ms. Lamascus says.

The annual event was held in Dave and Buster’s at Ontario Mills Mall, Ontario, and attended by association members and their families.

“This is a fun event for us,” Ms. Lamascus continues. “It is so rewarding for us to be able to support the work at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital.”

The Tri-County Escrow Association is a consortium of approximately 50 real estate and escrow professionals who are located in portions of San Bernardino, Riverside, and Los Angeles counties.

One of the activities of the association is to plan and implement monthly continuing education programs relevant to the real estate industry.

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Racing for Kids charity brings Indy driver to LLUCH

Michael Byrne asks Indy racecar driver Robbie Buhl about his helmet during the Racing for Kids visit.

The kids in the Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital received a special visit March 21. Robbie Buhl, a professional driver in the Indy Racing League (IRL)—which includes the Indy 500 race—came to see patients at the Children’s Hospital with the Racing for Kids charity program. They enjoyed hearing how fast Mr. Buhl drives, but what they really appreciated was the time he took to talk with them. He spent two hours visiting and talking with them.

For a guy who can go from zero to 60 mph and back to zero in six seconds, that’s an impressive time.

This year marked the seventh consecutive year Racing for Kids has visited the Children’s Hospital.

“The kids love it,” enthuses Leslie Young, director of the Children’s Hospital programs. “It’s the one-on-one time that is really great,” she says.

The visit was Mr. Buhl’s first time to LLUCH, but he is no stranger to sick kids. He has been touring with Racing for Kids as the national spokesperson since 1990. This is his third visit to a children’s hospital this year, and he was excited to boost the kids’ morale.

“Watch for number 24,” Mr. Buhl told Matt Rauh, a 9-year-old from Alaska. Matt wore Mr. Buhl’s hat after speaking with the Indy racer.

When talking with Michael Byrne, Mr. Buhl told how hot it gets in the racecar. The only control for the air condition afforded in his open wheel car is the throttle. Racers can lose up to five pounds in water weight in a racing weekend, he said. In response to one of Michael’s questions, Mr. Buhl explained how the ridges in his helmet help use the airflow to keep his helmet from flying off his head.

One of the last visits was with Kaid, a racer himself, being driven around in a PlaySkool® car by his nurse. After having his hat signed by Mr. Buhl, Kaid autographed a picture of Mr. Buhl’s car for him to keep as a reminder of Kaid’s dream to drive a racecar someday.

Based on using the popularity of motor sports to focus public attention and funding on the health-care needs of children, William W. Pinsky, MD, founded Racing for Kids in 1989 at the Children’s Hospital in Michigan. Dr. Bill, as he is affectionately called, has visited with the program to LLUCH in the past. Hospital visits form the heart of the program. The Racing for Kids team also includes drivers Barry Waddell, Chris Menninga, Benson Ford Jr., and Matt Plumb. They visit children in children’s hospitals where they race. They spend time with each sick youngster answering questions about racing and handing out the hats with the distinctive Racing for Kids logo, designed by a former six-year-old patient.

Matt Rauh, a 9-year-old from Alaska, models the hat Robbie Buhl signed for him on March 21.

Racing for Kids representatives have visited more than 12,000 children in 190 hospitals around the world in the United States, Canada, and Australia. In addition to the time spent visiting sick kids, more than $2.5 million have been raised through donations and specific fundraising events for children’s hospitals across the nation. An astonishing 90 percent of funds raised are donated in the name of Racing for Kids to the local children’s hospitals in the areas where the races are held.

Mr. Buhl was scheduled to race at the California Motor Speedway on March 24 at the Yamaha Indy 400, the debut race for the Indy Racing League in Fontana. However, Mr. Buhl’s engine blew between turns one and two of the qualifying lap (the day before, he raced the lap at 219.268 mph). He made heavy contact with the wall and was momentarily knocked unconscious. He was taken to LLUMC for a thorough examination. Track officials said Mr. Buhl was awake and alert and did not appear to have any serious injuries. But because he was knocked out, IRL rules prohibited him from racing on that day.

Across the hospital from Mr. Buhl, the same kids he visited March 21 made him get-well cards that were delivered to him before he was discharged.

He didn’t win the race, but he won the pole position in their hearts.

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Von’s donates more than $4,900 to Children’s Hospital Diabetes Specialty Team Center

On March 18, employees from Von’s grocery stores donated $4,929.35 to the Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital Diabetes Specialty Team Center. Presenting the check are Ron Alguire (third from left), store manager; Kathy Bernsen (fourth from left), senior supervisor ; Nancy Simpson (third from right), customer service manager; Kim Knight (far right), and Bill Dexter (second from right); to LLUCH’s Patti Cotton Pettis (far left), director of LLUCH Foundation; and Jackie, a 10-year-old diabetes patient.

On March 18, employees from Von’s grocery stores donated $4,929.35 to the Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital Diabetes Specialty Team Center.

The money will be used to assist in the support of vital programs and the purchase of critical equipment for the children served. Certain items have already been specified, including a mobile educational cart. This custom-made traveling classroom will come complete with drawers, hooks, white board, and countertop. It will hold educational books, brochures, and posters and allow for “traveling” educational programs for diabetes patients and their families.

Also on the wish list is the Clinitek 50 Urine Chemistry Analyzer and associated test strips for the DCA 2000®+Hemoglobin A1c machine. This analyzer detects protein in the urine which can be an early indicator of potential kidney damage. An early warning may prevent kidney damage in children with diabetes. Used in conjunction with the DCA 2000®+ Hemoglobin A1c, this instrument analyzes, displays, and prints results at the rate of one test per minute.

The Bayer Diagnostics DCA 2000®+Hemoglobin A1c machine measures the glucose level in the blood of a patient over a two-month period of time. These measurements have allowed the Diabetes Specialty Team Center to better control blood glucose levels in patients. Studies nationwide have shown that work with the A1c machine and better control of blood glucose levels have, in turn, allowed for substantial reductions in development and progression of retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy in diabetes patients.

Another item Von’s generous gift will help procure is the ProtectúAll® Case. This small case, which wraps around the waist like a fanny-pack, provides protection and maintains the cold temperature insulin needs. This allows the child to go anywhere without worrying about keeping his/her insulin safe and at the correct temperature.

A possible favorite for kids will be Camp Conrad-Chinnock. This special diabetes camp offers four sessions for youth each year with biking and hiking expeditions. The medical program is designed to impart self-management skills, which can lead to a longer and healthier life. The camp is one of the biggest needs of the diabetes center. At $425 per camper, only five children can be sent each year. But with more than 600 patients being seen currently, the “need is endless,” according to Catherine Inglis, director of the Diabetes Specialty Team Center.

Ron Alguire, Von’s store manager; Kathy Bernsen, senior supervisor; Nancy Simpson, customer service manager; Kim Knight; and Bill Dexter were given a tour of the Children’s Hospital units 5200, 5700, and 5800. A special luncheon was held for them, during which Ms. Inglis gave a short presentation on children with diabetes in the Inland Empire. There are an estimated 400,000 diagnosed cases of diabetes in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Type I diabetes is the most common found in children, but Type II (caused by poor diet and lack of exercise) is becoming more prevalent in children.

Currently the diabetes center is managing 650 patients, working with them for follow-up care and self-management. Every month, 15 new cases are diagnosed. In 2001, the clinic treated 893 patients.

Ten-year-old Jackie, a diabetes patient diagnosed in September, was a special guest. She had been at the Children’s Hospital since her diagnosis, but was ready to be discharged March 18. The check was presented to her on behalf of all the diabetes patients at the hospital who will benefit from the gift.

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Stater Bros. ice cream social hits the spot at the Children’s Hospital

The serving line (from left): Tom Degruyter, Stater Bros. merchandiser; Jerry Whitmore, Dreyer’s representative; Chuck Balassa, Dreyer’s representative; and Dennis Mcntyre, Stater Bros. senior vice president for marketing.

On March 15, the Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital was treated to an early spring break—an hour packed full of fun, games, and topped off with ice cream. Stater Bros. Markets brought in 300 single-serve ice cream items, three tubs of the frozen delight, and three pints of sugar-free versions. Children’s Hospital kids devoured cones and sundaes of the strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate kind.

The 25 Stater Bros. employees prepared ice cream for the entire Children’s Hospital, bringing cones and sundaes up to the units for the kids who were unable to make it down to the conference rooms where the social took place. Along with the mobile sundaes, a “frozen-feathered friend” accompanied the unit deliveries. A penguin, the designated mascot for frozen food month, brought smiles and hugs to the kids along with the sweet surprises.

Cookies, both sugar-filled and sugar-free, and fruit bars were offered as alternative snacks for the Children’s Hospital charges. This was the second ice cream social Stater Bros. has thrown for the Children’s Hospital, possibly becoming an annual event, mainly because the Stater Bros. employees enjoy it as much as the kids do.

“It’s a lot of fun, I’ll tell you that,” says David Oberlin, regional vice-president of retail. Mr. Oberlin passed out Tony the Tiger® stuffed toys and star-shaped stickers to those who came to his bowling booth. Brian Pline, vice-president of marketing, set the pins for Nicholas James Ballrg at the bowling game. After seeing him light up from winning five stickers, Mr. Pline remarked. “It’s all about not letting [the kids] think about anything they have to go through.”

Nicholas James Ballrg, 6, picked up five star-shaped stickers in his debut on the amateur bowling circuit.

And from the looks of things, the kids were only thinking about having fun. Matthew Parker, 6, took to the green at the golf game like a pro. “He likes playing the golf game on the Nintendo, so he’s pretty experienced,” said his mother, April.

While at the inclined ball-rolling game, Janntel Kennedy scored a high five from Mike Villarreal, Stater Bros. district manager. Ms. Kennedy appreciated the opportunity to share in the fun times, and she also appreciated the vanilla ice cream with the caramel topping.

As if the sweets and games weren’t enough, Stater Bros. also prepared 200 bags of goodies filled with crayons, coloring books, toys, and balloons to give away to the kids. All of them were more than welcome. Dennis Mcntyre, senior vice president for marketing and serving for the second year as ice cream-topping distributor, enjoyed his time. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he said.

“The most exciting part of the event?” repeated Jose Gonzalez when asked about his experience. “The games!” he exclaimed. Mr. Gonzalez was all smiles after knocking down all the pins at the bowling booth.

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