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Philanthropy is a goal of the Strengthening Our Foundation initiative of our strategic plan — and this holiday season is no exception for UVA Health and the local community to spread goodwill and cheer:

Explore the UVA Health Foundation’s peer-to-peer fundraising platform. Get Involved enables patients, families, and community members to create personalized fundraising pages to support areas within UVA Health they find meaningful. Pages can celebrate the memory of a loved one, honor a caregiver, raise donations in conjunction with an event, and more. It's also an easy way to support research, clinical care, education, community outreach, or other areas. If you are a UVA Health faculty or staff member interested in using the platform, see Faculty and Staff Fundraising Page Guidelines. Questions? Contact get-involved@virginia.edu.

On the 7th floor, the Panera Family Lounge and nurses station at UVA Health Children's has transformed into Candyland, thanks to Children’s Miracle Network partner Howard Hanna. Patients and their families joined holiday tree decorating in the lounge.

The 22nd Annual Lighting of the Lawn is set for Friday, Dec. 1, 7-9:30 p.m.

Kendrick Kier continues his annual BradyStrong Foundation Toy Drive across Virginia, collecting new toys and dropping them off at UVA Health Children's on Dec. 4. Some of the toys will become part of the Dec. 7 Season's Treatings event (see below); others may be delivered by Santa Claus on Dec. 25 to young patients (also see below).

“The items donated through the BradyStrong Foundation Toy Drive support our patient families in so many ways," says Amy Cesak, Patient and Family Centered Care Manager and Child Life Services Manager. "This toy drive has grown so much in recent years that it provides important toys and games for children in the hospital throughout the year. It’s inspiring to see how the entire Virginia community comes together to support UVA Health Children’s in this special way."

Lights of Love Tree Lighting and Caroling illuminates the Main Hospital lobby Dec. 5 at 2 p.m. Sponsored by the Hospital Auxiliary — the event features seasonal music by Charlottesville High School choirs, as 2023 Children's Miracle Network Hospitals National Champion Kahmari Riedl lights the holiday tree. To help the Hospital Auxiliary continue their service of giving, consider making a tax-deductible donation to support programs that directly benefit patients and their families such as Flowers for Patients, Pet Therapy, Music Therapy, and more.

Season's Treatings is set for Dec. 7, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., 7th floor, Main Hospital. UVA Health Children's, Human Resources Rewards and Recognition, and Children's Hospital Advisory Board team up to transform a hospital classroom into a gift wrapping room — and a conference room in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) into a toy "store." Event volunteers include members of the Children's Hospital Advisory Board, Patient and Family Centered Care Committee, Hospital Education Program, and HR Rewards and Recognition. Inpatient families can select three gifts per pediatric patient and three gifts per child living in their household.

Make donations online via the Amazon Wish List by Dec. 4. Items purchased this way will be mailed directly to Child Life Services. If you choose to purchase items outside of this list, mail them to 1215 Lee St., 7th Floor 7809, Charlottesville, VA, 22903. Questions? Contact Child Life Services at 434.409.7107.

Bids are open in the 2023 UVA Cancer Center Wreath Auction through Dec. 6. UVA Health team members generously donated time and talent to decorate the 100+ wreaths, and the Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center lobby with the wreaths, ranging from "'Tis the Swiftmas" to "Candy Cane Explosion" to "Hot Cocoa and Conversation With President Ryan."

All proceeds go toward helping cancer patients experiencing barriers to accessing treatment. Auction winners of can pick up their wreaths at the ECCCC on Dec. 7-8, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

Mid-December, 2023 UVA graduate Ben Herold organizes Shoes for Hope to support UVA Health Pediatric Oncology families. Young patients paint more than two dozen, donated, new Nike Air Force One sneakers, which then are worn by UVA men's and women's basketball team coaches during games at John Paul Jones Arena. The signed sneakers are auctioned during the Annual Week of Giving in May as a fundraiser for Pediatric Oncology.

Some patients who will be at the clinic on Dec. 13 will join Chef Dennis Wingler for Gingerbread House Decorating in the Battle Building lobby.

The 7th floor Pediatric Intensive Care Unit has placed a donation barrel in the west break room for a Holiday Food Drive, benefiting the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank which provides resources to 100,000+ people across 25 counties each month. Donate by Dec. 15. The PICU also is accepting online donations for the food bank.

Volunteers have been making Christmas stockings and now it’s time to collect items to fill them to give out to adult inpatients who will be here on Christmas. The Stocking Stuffers wish list: holiday window decorations, sun catchers, adult coloring books, colored pencils, word search/crossword/Sudoku books, pencils, journals (no wire), art supplies, holiday fuzzy socks, stocking hats, holiday hats, festive headbands, battery teal lights, mini light strands, mini Christmas games. Drop off items by noon on Dec. 20 at Volunteer Services. Questions? Contact LaDelle Gay.

Ho, ho, ho! Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus will make their annual rounds on Dec. 19, 11 a.m., delivering books and a small plush toy to each patient in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. This year, Peter Murray, MD, takes over the role of Santa Claus that Rob Sinkin, MD, performed for 39 years.

Nursing Supervisor Naomi Rademeyer, BSN, RN, CCRN, who'd worked in the NICU for 16 years, becomes Mrs. Claus for the seventh year. They're joined by Elizabeth Shifflett, MBA, Chief Operating Officer, Department of Pediatrics, as a North Pole elf.

NICU nurses Kathleen Battle and Alexandra Vest are handmaking ornaments with ribbon measured out to each baby's head circumference and length at birth, along with a footprint.

"The holiday season is an especially hard time for the families in the NICU," says Dr. Murray. "The world outside of the unit goes on, while our families sit at the bedside of their critically ill babies. If we can bring a small degree of cheer to our families, we must do so without reservation."

And on Dec. 25, 10 a.m., Santa Claus, aka Charlottesville Vice Mayor Juandiego Wade, visits UVA Health Children's to deliver gifts. He and his elf helper, aka daughter Gabriella Wade, will drop by inpatient units, PICU, and 7 Acute. This is Wade's sixth year in the role.

"It's the highlight of my holiday to visit UVA Health Children's as Santa Claus," he beams. "It warms my heart to see joy in the eyes of a child when I enter their room. Everyone is smiling — parents, siblings, staff — and most importantly, the child."