Florida Hospital Donations Helps Keep Local Boys & Girls Club Doors Open

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - July 14, 2015 - PRLog -- On July 14, the five Florida Hospitals in Volusia and Flagler counties banded together to donate $25,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Volusia/Flagler Counties to assist in their “Keep Our Doors Open” campaign.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Volusia/Flagler Counties were recently notified that they were going to receive an unexpected reduction of $200,000 in state funding as of July 1. After 23 years in the community and branches in Daytona Beach, Palm Coast, DeLand, Edgewater, Deltona, Lake Helen, New Smyrna Beach and Holly Hill, this loss of funds could lead to closing several of their clubs. In order to avoid shutting down any of their clubs, they are trying to raise the missing $200,000 by July 31. Local businessman and philanthropist Gale Lemerand has pledged to match private donations made to the organization’s fund-raising campaign, up to $100,000.

Upon hearing the news about the Boys & Girls Clubs of Volusia/Flagler Counties’ needs, the five Florida Hospitals in Volusia and Flagler counties decided to step in and donate $25,000.

“We are truly honored to assist this incredible organization that serves nearly 1,600 youth in our community each year,” said Daryl Tol, CEO of the five Florida Hospitals in Volusia and Flagler counties. “The mission of the Boys & Girls Clubs aligns with our own mission to extend the healing ministry of Christ to our community.”

Locally, Florida Hospital has been a continued supporter of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Volusia/Flagler Counties. This recent donation is in addition to a $25,000 donation Florida Hospital made this year towards a youth substance abuse prevention program at four local Boys & Girls Clubs. Furthermore, a team at Florida Hospital DeLand recently visited Club in DeLand and built food gardens. Florida Hospital was also the highest level sponsor at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Volusia/Flagler Counties’ annual fundraiser in March, and brought the children to the City of Daytona Beach’s National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) game in December.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Volusia/Flagler Counties started in 1993, providing working families an affordable, safe place for their children afterschool and during the summer. Approximately 68 percent of youth come from single parent homes and 92 percent come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, The Boys & Girls Clubs continue to make a difference with the children who need them most. Their members are typically the youth whose families cannot afford the fee-based alternatives for afterschool programs.  In the tradition of Boys & Girls Clubs, no child is ever turned away due to inability to pay.

About Florida Hospital Volusia/Flagler
Florida Hospital Volusia/Flagler is a member of Adventist Health System, a faith-based health care organization with 45 hospital campuses and nearly 8,300 licensed beds in 10 states. With five hospitals in Volusia and Flagler counties, Florida Hospital is the largest hospital system in the area, with 788 beds, 4,800 employees, and 650,000 patients every year. Florida Hospital Volusia/Flagler’s mission is to extend the healing ministry of Christ, and in 2014, the hospitals collectively contributed nearly $101 million in benefits to the underprivileged, the community’s overall health and wellness and spiritual needs, and capital improvements.