The Ryan’s Lion Organization teams up with the Utah Valley Healthcare Foundation
Recently, I was invited to donate some more lions to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center. Lori Buss, who manages parent support at the hospital has been my cheerleader and has provided lots of advice and encouragement as I’ve tried to get my non-profit corporation up and running. When we received the new shipment of manufactured lions, I wanted the hospital to have a few more, and emailed Ms. Buss to see if they could use any more Ryan’s Lions. Lori managed something even better. She offered me an opportunity to donate lions to be auctioned at the hospital’s annual “Chocolate Extravaganza.” This event raises funds for the Hospital Foundation, and funds are used to benefit the Newborn and Pediatric Intensive Care Units. I appreciated this because not only did it allow me to get 50 more lions into the hands of people who need them, it provided me with an opportunity to make a few more people aware of the Ryan’s Lion Organization.
We donated 50 Ryan’s Lions to the Hospital Foundation for this event, and each one was purchased during the live auction. What was unique about this part of the auction is that those who made purchases, did so knowing the Lions they purchased would be given right back to the hospital where they can be placed with parents of critically ill infants, or given to sick children. It was pretty exciting to watch people’s generosity in action. The sponsoring corporations were extremely generous, and it was a thrill to watch real social entrepreneurs in action. By “real” I mean the ones who were able to donate thousands of dollars. It was a privilege for me to be included. Thanks Utah Valley Healthcare Foundation! Visit http://intermountainhealthcare.org/communitysupport/giving/uvfoundation/Pages/home.aspx to learn more about the foundation and how you can help.
