Sampson Regional Medical Center staff, working alongside members of the Sampson Regional Medical Center Foundation board, held its annual Tree of Love event Sunday evening. And despite the chilly temperatures, the twinkling lights delighted those gathered, a reminder of both those who the lights and trees were dedicated to and the reason for the fund-raising event.
Proceeds from the event will help purchase a new ultrasound machine for the hospital’s operating room. Support for the Tree of Love comes from business and individual sponsors, as well as those who purchase a tree, cluster of trees or lights on the Tree of Love.
Reindeer food, along with cookies and hot cocoa provided from inside the medical center — with a visit from Santa for the children — were part of the two hours worth of holiday activities.
“On behalf of the Foundation Board, I extend to you our warmest welcome, and thank you for your participation in today’s annual Tree of Love lighting celebration,” Foundation President Mandy DuBose told those gathered. “The Tree of Love is a long-standing and special tradition of this hospital, and the Sampson Regional Foundation has the great privilege each year of continuing it. Thousands of lights have been symbolically lit by donors in honor or remembrance of loved ones over the years. Every light, represents love and caring, and each gift made to the foundation helps to support the work and advancements of our community hospital. This tree offers a beautiful and meaningful way for individuals and businesses to express their appreciation and love for those on their holiday list. We invite you to consider a gift of any amount to support this special occasion.”
The tree lighting was assisted by Connor Jarman, a youngster who won a hospital-wide coloring contest to be named the official tree lighter. The crowd applauded the young man as he waved the magical wand lighting this year’s tree.
Afterward, DuBose took a moment to talk about the event.
“This event started years ago now, and it was a way and means of lighting up Beaman Street, by honoring and memorializing special people around the holidays, and it’s just grown over the years. It’s a really bright spot on Beaman Street, as you can see, through the holiday season, and the funds raised always support anything extra that the hospital may need, or something that may not have been in the original budget,” she noted.
“It started with the Women’s Auxiliary. The wives of the doctors were actually the ones (who started it). There’s a tree over where the Woodside Building is, that big tree was the original one. When Amber Halstead, vice president of business development, took over, it kind of started this (new Tree of Love event),” explained Madison Harbin, director of business development at the hospital.
Halstead said the Founddation is a non-profit. separate from the hospital.
“We operate exclusively for the interests of Sampson Regional Medical Center,” she pointed out. “We don’t do any re-granting outside of the hospital, all of the dollars and net proceeds that we raise are to directly benefit projects of the hospital, so those could be operational projects for introducing new services, or it can be raising dollars for capital expenses. It’s usually things such as new equipment and technology. In the past decade, it has included the infrastructure of new buildings such as our wellness center, now operated by the YMCA, and building projects as well.”
Halstead also expaned on Harbin’s discussion about the evolution of the Tree of Love event.
“IThe Women’s Auxiliary was a medical staff alliance, made up of primarily spouses of medical staff. It was before we had our Foundation revitalized. They raised money for this cause, and then they gifted the project over to our Foundation. We were incorporated to be able to be the fundraising arm of the hospital. We’ve had the pleasure of continuing the tradition, which has evolved in the past four or five years. We changed the format of the event to what the community sees today; we changed the location and began to do tribute trees, spreading them over the lawn and expanding it as a family-friendly holiday event. It’s really important, because events like this give us a chance for people who, unless they have a reason to come to the hospital, may not find themselves here. And it’s important to us for people to know in our community that we are here to serve them. We might be a place that they pass by, or they know someone who’s been in the hospital, but unless they’ve had a reason to be here, they may not know exactly everything that we do to serve our community.”
Sampson Regional Medical Center is one of the few hospitals in the state that aren’t affiliated with a major health system. Halstead pointed out the importance in that, along with having events like the Tree of Love.
“As a rural community hospital, it’s a significant milestone in itself. This year we’re celebrating our 75th anniversary, which is really exciting. Events like this give people a chance to come to the hospital when they’re not sick or they’re not visiting a family member, it gives us a chance to show them who we are. They get to meet us, they get to see our service lines, and it also helps people understand how they can support a cause close to home. Things like this are really important to us, expanding services and technology and continuing to reinvest in what we do here at Sampson Regional.” Halstead said.