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East County News ServiceJuly 26, 2024 (La Mesa) -- Sharp Grossmont Hospital held its annual backpack drive today to support local students impacted by HIV and AIDS as they get ready to go back to school. This year, nurses and hospital staff sponsored 75 children by donating backpacks filled with school supplies, ranging from crayons and glue sticks to graphing calculators and planners.
Each year, Sharp Grossmont works with San Diego nonprofit Christie’s Place to identify families and children in need. The organization is dedicated to supporting women and children living with HIV and AIDS by providing resources and family-centered social services.
Many of the students identified face significant challenges, such as poverty, unstable housing and food insecurity. By providing school supplies through the backpack drive, Sharp Grossmont staff help alleviate one of these burdens and make sure children receive the necessary tools to succeed academically.
“We love seeing the excited look on our kids’ faces when they receive their brand new backpacks,” says Rhea Van Brocklin, executive director of Christie’s Place. “By providing our kids with essential school supplies, Sharp employees help them start the year off right, and boosts their morale and self-esteem.”
Sharp Grossmont staff were provided detailed school supply lists by grade to ensure donations were both thoughtful and practical. On the day of the drive, backpacks were dropped off in an array of colors featuring animated characters, superheroes, and tie-dye, then loaded on a Sharp shuttle and delivered to Christie’s Place.
Since the drive was launched in 2005, Sharp staff have donated more than 3,000 backpacks filled with school supplies.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sharp HealthCare, San Diego's most comprehensive health care delivery system, is recognized for clinical excellence in cardiac, cancer, multi-organ transplantation, orthopedics, rehabilitation, behavioral health, women's health, home health and hospice services. Sharp HealthCare has been widely acclaimed for its commitment to transform the health care experience for patients, physicians and staff through an organization-wide performance improvement initiative called The Sharp Experience. The Sharp HealthCare system includes four acute-care hospitals, three specialty hospitals, two affiliated medical groups, a health plan, and numerous outpatient facilities and programs. To learn more about Sharp, visit Sharp Health News.
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