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Fraternity bears good news for area hospital |
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Thursday, 01 March 2007 |
by TREVA CARTER
Intern Lifestyles Reporter
The brothers of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity are sponsoring the second annual “100 Hugs Drive.”
They hope to receive over 100 teddy bears to benefit the Mission Children’s Hospital in Asheville.
The
idea came last year when Justin A. Lowery, a graduate of Appalachian
State University, along with the consensus of the group, thought it was
finally time for the organization to take on this challenge.
One of the fraternity members has a special tie to Mission Children’s
Hospital as Jonathan “Jai” Jackson, a junior health care management
major, was born there.
“Actually, I spent awhile in Mission’s because I was born there as a
preemie and then when I was 13, I got into a car wreck and broke my
jaw, and I had to spend about two weeks in that ward,” Jackson said.
“The nurses did whatever they could to keep me having fun; to them it
was nothing. So I thought why not do something close to home and make a
better impact,” he said.
The hospital admits children from birth to 18 years of age. They house
every type of injury from those with just a broken arm, to those with
long-term illnesses.
The members of Alpha Phi Alpha thought it would be good to set their sights on Western North Carolina.
“It would be good to use our services not only in the Boone community, but to the surrounding areas,” Jackson said.
The brothers saw they could make a difference within the lives of kids at the hospital.
Jamarl D. Clark, a senior public communications major, thought the
project was more about people giving back to the community, not just
the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.
“It is important to serve the community like Dr. Martin Luther King
wanted in his speech and also just to give back,” Clark said. “To see a
child smile by giving them a teddy bear and they just light up, as a
man, it brings tears to your eyes because then you know you’ve made an
impact.”
Jena K. Johnson, a pediatric activities coordinator, is excited to be working with Alpha Phi Alpha once again.
“The guys come in and spend like an hour or so with the kids. They
personally deliver the bears to the patients that are here,” Johnson
said.
Johnson also said the left over teddy bears are given to the kids that are admitted to the hospital after the guys have left.
She feels it is a stress reliever for the kids.
“Coming into a hospital can be scary. [The kids] feel a little better having the stuffed animal beside them,” Johnson said.
“I feel connected with this project, growing up I dealt with a lot of
obstacles,” Clark said. “But I had people who were giving back. That’s
why I am at the point where I can give back.”
The members ask that those who plan to donate select stuffed animals
that do not have a holiday theme to them; there will be a contact table
in the Plemmons Student Union today through Friday.
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