Healthcare Engineers from across the country raise funds for Toy Drive benefitting the kids at six Tennessee Children’s Hospitals
Collecting toy donations at the ASHE conference booth. Pictured L-R: Christy Geuther, Learning Express Toys & Gifts (Nashville); Anne Brandner, THA Innovative Solutions; Rick Tinsley, THEA; Cady Geuther, Learning Express Toys & Gifts (Nashville)
NASHVILLE, TN – This past August, a group of companies and healthcare associations, led by THEA (Tennessee Healthcare Engineering Association), organized a successful toy drive during the 2021 Annual Conference for ASHE (American Society for Health Care Engineering) to benefit the kids at six children’s hospitals across Tennessee.
Held at Nashville’s Music City Center, ASHE conference attendees were able to make monetary donations and drop off new toys at a toy drive booth, which was hosted by local toy store Learning Express Toys & Gifts (Nashville). By the end of the conference, the toy drive collected over 100 toys in the drop off boxes and $6,200 in donations!
All monetary donations were used to purchase a large selection of toys for kids of all ages. The first week of November, representatives from THA Innovative Solutions, THEA, and Bernhard distributed approximately $1,000 in toys to each of these six Tennessee children’s specialty hospitals:
- Niswonger Children’s Hospital
- East Tennessee Children’s Hospital
- Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
- Children’s Hospital at Erlanger
- Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt
- Jude Children’s Research Hospital
“Traditionally, when the ASHE annual conference comes to your area, the local state chapter plays host and organizes a community service project,” THEA President Rick Tinsley said. “So our board chose to lead a toy drive. We hope these toys will bring smiles to all the children in these facilities over the holiday season.”
“We hope these toys will bring smiles to all the children in these facilities over the holiday season.”
Learning Express Toys & Gifts (Nashville) was a key partner in the toy drive, as they helped work the booth, collected the donations, placed an order for a lot of toys, and served as all-around toy experts. When the owner of the Nashville store, Christy Geuther, heard about the toy drive, she jumped at the chance to help, as her own family had experienced the services and care of children’s hospitals.
The generous attendees of the ASHE Annual Conference are facilities management and engineering professionals that specialize in healthcare. They are just some of the unsung heroes working behind the scenes every day to make sure hospital buildings are well maintained and running smoothly, so that doctors, nurses, and caregivers can focus on the well-being of their patients.
See additional photos from the ASHE Annual Conference toy drive booth here.
Toy Drive sponsoring organizations:
About ASHE
The American Society for Health Care Engineering (ASHE) is a professional membership group of the American Hospital Association. More than 12,500 members rely on ASHE as a key source of professional development, information and advocacy, including representation on key issues that affect their work in the physical health care environment. Learn more at ashe.org.
About THEA
The Tennessee Healthcare Engineering Association (THEA) is the local Tennessee chapter of ASHE, representing healthcare facility management and engineering professionals in the state. Learn more at tennashe.org.
About Bernhard
Bernhard is one of the largest privately-owned engineering and contracting firms in the nation with 2,000 employees in 25 locations. We have a rich history of providing high quality, client-focused engineering and contracting services for clients across the nation. With 100 years of energy and infrastructure project experience, we serve healthcare, education, commercial, government, and industrial clients throughout the United States. Learn more at bernhard.com.
About Learning Express Toys & Gifts (Nashville)
Learning Express Toys & Gifts (Nashville) is the Nashville area franchise of Learning Express Toys, and one of the largest toy stores in the state of Tennessee. Learning Express Toys is a retail toy store concept focused on quality and educational toys and gifts for children of all ages. Learning Express Toys is the largest and most established specialty toy franchise business in America. Learn more at learningexpress.com/nashville.
About THA
The Tennessee Hospital Association (THA) was founded in 1938 and serves as an advocate for hospitals, health systems and other healthcare organizations across the state. The initiatives of THA support the efforts of Tennessee’s hospitals to ensure high quality care for the patients and communities they serve. Learn more at tha.com.
About THA Innovative Solutions
A wholly-owned subsidiary of THA, THA Innovative Solutions seeks to provide THA member hospitals with programs that deliver high clinical, financial, and operational value. Relying on member input and industry trends, THA Innovative Solutions seeks to identify the most critical challenges facing hospitals, and partners with industry leading companies that serve the needs of our hospital members and their patients. Learn more at thahealthinnovation.com.
###
