Lester Park Elementary students donate Christmas trees to Essentia Health

Essentia Health on Tuesday welcomed students from Lester Park Elementary School to St. Mary's Medical Center for the annual Giving Tree event. This festive get-together has been organized by students and staff at Lester Park Elementary since 2002 and includes stops at St. Luke's and Ecumen Lakeshore. Students raised funds to purchase 12 small artificial trees complete with handmade ornaments, to share holiday cheer with patients and staff spending the holidays in the hospital. Staff from several St. Mary’s inpatient units escorted students to their floors, where the youngsters delivered trees to the nurses' station; many students exclaimed about the views from the hospital's 18th floor.

Sue Baker, a kindergarten teacher at Lester Park Elementary, said it was the idea of her son Robby when he was 7.

"This all started with a little boy's desire to give back to the doctors and nurses who saved his little brother's life, and give to the patients who couldn't be home for the holidays," said Baker. "Twenty-one years later, this tradition is still alive and well, and it’s so heartwarming to see so many people work together to make this happen."

The children raised more than $2,000 doing chores at home. That money was used to purchase a total of 41 trees for the three organizations, each decorated with ornaments handmade by the students.

Student fundraising also purchased coloring books and activities to help occupy patients of all ages.

"I am in awe of the support and caring we receive from our community," said Jan Schade, senior vice president of operations at St. Mary's Medical Center. "These trees help brighten the spirits of those hospitalized during the holiday season. We are so grateful that we can come together to make a healthy difference in people's lives and give back to this place we call home."

During this year's Giving Tree event, St. Mary's was excited to welcome Santa and Mrs. Claus, who stopped by on their way to visit Bentleyville. They provided a Bentleyville hat to each student and visited with patients and care teams in the hospital.

Thank you to the generous students and staff at Lester Park Elementary for making this holiday season merry and bright, even for those who may not be able to celebrate at home.