Riverside Tappahannock Hospital (RTH) held its annual Tree Lighting and Christmas raffle Thursday, December 3, raising $7,952 for WRAR Christmas Wishes and the Riverside Tappahannock Hospital Make a Difference Fund. The amount will be shared equally between these two charities.
"I am so appreciative of the generosity and creativeness of our team and what they pulled together through personal and community donations," stated Esther Desimini, RTH Administrator. "It's also wondeRiverside Foundationul to see the community come out, have a great time and support these two wondeRiverside Foundationul causes," she added.
The annual event, which was free and open to the public, featured a number of family activities including a visit from Santa and the lighting of the hospital's Christmas tree.
The raffle prize packages, all created and donated by RTH employees, had something for everyone. "Sitting Around The Fire" featured handmade benches that converted to a table (made by RTH ER nurse Chad Forrester), a chimnea, and everything you would need to enjoy s'mores and an evening around a fire;"Hopes for Christmas" was a handmade hope chest (made by RTH colorectal specialist surgeon Dr. Michael Francis);"A Hokie New Year" featured an assortment of items for Virginia Tech fans;and the most popular package of the evening was the "Tree of Joy and Happiness," which featured $500 worth of gift cards and raffle tickets.
Christmas Wishes provides Christmas gifts to children and families in need due to medical and/or financial hardship.?The RTH Make a Difference Fund allows the hospital to continually enhance the facilities, equipment and programs that support the healthcare needs of the communities they serve.