Swim for Melissa 2020 supporting Huntsville Hospital Foundation
Swim for Melissa 2020 supporting Huntsville Hospital Foundation
About Swim for Melissa 2020
What's changing for 2020?
The 15th annual Swim for Melissa will be a one-of-a-kind event for the whole family. Even though we can't be close together and swim laps this year, we can still work collectively and make a difference for families in our NICU!
On Saturday, Aug. 22, Jaycee Way, located off Airport Road in Huntsville, will transform into “Melissa’s Miracle Mile,” lined with signs featuring Neonatal ICU baby heroes (Make sure your child is featured on the Miracle Mile by purchasing a sign in the navigation bar at the top of the page!).
Families and teams will drive through the celebration, stopping at stations for fundraising prizes, Swim for Melissa T-shirts and special surprises.
Other specifics
Children ages 4 to 14 can form a team of up to eight friends or family members to start raising money for the Melissa George Neonatal Memorial Fund at Huntsville Hospital Foundation. Register today to start your fundraising page, and get ready to drive the Miracle Mile on August 22!
Each registrant receives a T-shirt and will have a fundraising page to set their own goal for the chance to win great prizes.
All proceeds benefit Melissa's Fund, which has raised millions of dollars to purchase lifesaving medical equipment for the Regional Neonatal ICU at Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children.
Interested in Miracle Bash? Visit bidpal.net/miraclebash2020.
Date
Starts at: August 22, 2020 9:00 AM
Ends at: August 22, 2020 12:00 PM
Location
Jaycee Way, Huntsville, AL 35801, USA
Jaycee Way, John Hunt Park
Huntsville,AL 35801 USA
Contact
Anna Manning, HHF
anna.manning@hhsys.org
How Your Support Makes a Difference
Event proceeds will be used to address an immediate need created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Current hospital policy states that if a baby is admitted to the Neonatal ICU at Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children, the parents of the child are the only ones who can visit, and only one of them can visit at a time. This means grandparents, family members and friends aren’t allowed to visit during the infant’s stay. Proceeds from this year’s Miracle Bash and Swim for Melissa will allow loved ones to be able to “see” the baby, even though they can’t be there in person. The goal is to provide 55 NICVIEW cameras, one for each infant’s bedside. Under normal circumstances, the cameras are a great way to connect family members who live far away, those serving overseas or parents who can’t visit every day because of family obligations or financial strains. But in this COVID-19 world, it has become a real need in our NICU, and one that the Melissa George Neonatal Memorial Fund at Huntsville Hospital Foundation is pleased to provide through this year’s Miracle Bash and Swim for Melissa.
About Melissa's Fund
In November 2005, Amy and Chris George established the Melissa George Neonatal Memorial Fund in memory of their infant daughter Melissa Suzanne. The Georges’ twin daughters, Melissa Suzanne and Ann Catherine, were born 14 weeks early, and Melissa passed away just a few hours after birth. Ann Catherine, now a healthy teen, spent the first 68 days of her life in the NICU at Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children.
More than 1,000 infants from across the region are cared for each year in our Neonatal ICU – North Alabama’s only Level III NICU. Generous community donors play a tremendous role in ensuring the NICU has the best in technology so that these babies receive the level of care they need. Virtually every piece of equipment in the unit has been purchased through philanthropy, thanks to Melissa’s Fund and our donors.
