Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation Raises More Than $611,000 with First-Ever Walk for Children's

PITTSBURGH, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The first-ever Walk for Children's raised more than $611,000 for Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation. The event celebrated the culmination of the 125th anniversary year of Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC.

Held on June 4, more than 180 teams and over 2,500 walkers participated in the walk, held at Flagstaff Hill in Schenley Park. Teams and participants included patients, families, doctors, nurses, staff, corporate partners, and more to support Children's and the community.

"We are beyond thrilled with the turnout for this first year event," said Greg Barrett, president, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation. "We are here because each of us wants to make a difference in the lives of children and their families. The walk serves as a starting line to reinforce the community's commitment to supporting our children for another 125 years."

The event kicked off with a patient champion parade, with more than 100 patients dressed in purple shirts and displaying medals, leading the group to the starting line. 

Entertainment filled the park from 96.1 KISS FM, Blended Reality, and Steeline. Other activities included free helmets, courtesy of Kohl's Hard Heads Helmet Program; bounce houses; face painting; a race car display by Kennedy Motorsports; snacks from Dairy Queen and Eat'n Park, and more.

Walk co-chairs were Scott Lammie, chief financial officer, UPMC Health Plan, and Morgan O'Brien, chief executive officer, Peoples Natural Gas. Ken Rice from KDKA-TV served as the emcee.

Children's Hospital began its 125th celebration with a kickoff celebration on June 4, 2015 that launched the "Give Kids a Chance to be Kids" campaign. The campaign featured an interactive mobile story booth, called the "Giving Booth," that traveled to special events throughout the region. Also, in October 2015, Children's held a black-tie gala celebrating the 125th anniversary.

In total, more than $20 million has been raised during the 125th anniversary year to support Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC.

The lead corporate sponsor for the 125th Anniversary campaign is PNC. Title sponsors for Walk for Children's include UPMC and UPMC Health Plan.

For more information, visit www.givetochildrens.org/walk.

Contact: Andrea Kunicky
Phone: 412-692-6254
E-mail: [email protected] 

Contact: Marc Lukasiak
Phone: 412-692-7919
E-mail: [email protected]   

SOURCE Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation

Related Links

https://www.givetochildrens.org/