GIVING KUDOS

Hospital Days Crusade

The Shriners of the Highlands Shrine Club and Shriners everywhere would like to express their appreciation for all the businesses and people who contributed to our Hospital Days Crusade from Oct. 28-Nov. 7.

We are especially grateful this year due to the economy. Everyone just seemed to dig deep in their pockets and really came through for the children's hospitals.

Monies collected once each year go to support the Shriners Children's Hospitals around the country and in Canada and Mexico. This year marks 86 years the Shriners have operated these hospitals at no charge for any child who is under the age of 18.

The Shriners operate 19 orthopedic hospitals and three burn centers at a cost of $725 million annually. Every penny collected in this drive and other donations go directly to the Shrine hospitals.

Our children and Shriners everywhere thank each and every one of you for your support.

Harry H. Lister

Hospital Chairman

Highlands Shrine Club

Sebring

Timely help

You hear about it happening at schools, but a skilled nursing facility? Royal Care of Avon Park had a bomb threat called into the facility on Thursday, Nov. 19, just as our first annual "Fall Ball" was about to begin.

We are a 90-bed facility, and on this evening we had a lot of family members in to enjoy a night of dinner, music and a fashion show.

Not only was the staff great, the residents and family members were great, as well. The building was evacuated quickly and in an orderly manner. I would like to thank all of the staff of Royal Care for a job well done and also Janet Hancock, ARNP, who helped us in a big way.

I would also like to thank Positive Mobility; they were transporting a new resident to our facility when they had to turn around and take that person back to Florida Hospital.

Positive Mobility also offered to bring in some of their other transport vehicles if we needed them. Thanks to Florida Hospital for receiving the patient back, putting them back in their room and keeping them comfortable until they could be brought back to our facility.

South Florida Community College nursing students also need a big pat on the back; they are training in our facility and helped move residents in and out of the facility, and since dinner was interrupted, they helped get the food served. We also had some members of the Avon Park High ROTC program that helped us through all of the evacuation and then escorted the residents to their tables for the Fall Ball activities.

I would also like to send out a big heart felt thanks to our law enforcement officers who came out.

After all was said and done, they helped us get our residents back inside the building.

There were some big smiles on the faces of our residents as they were helped by our officers. I am also president of Highlands County SALT (seniors and law enforcement together) program and on that evening I saw how well law enforcement and our seniors work together.

And by the way, our "Fall Ball" was a beautiful event!

Janet Tindell, LPN

Marketing Director Royal Care of Avon Park

Avon Park