Wednesday, June 29, 2011

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital



This is a photo of me in front of St. Jude Hospital, the year I was the State of Arkansas Circle of Life Chairman for Epsilson Sigma Alpha. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is one of the international projects of ESA and they have donated millions of dollars over the years.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, founded in 1962, is a leading pediatric treatment and research facility focused on children's catastrophic diseases. It is located in Memphis, Tennessee. It is a nonprofit medical corporation chartered as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization under IRS regulations.

St. Jude was founded by entertainer Danny Thomas on the premise that "no child should die in the dawn of life." Thomas named the hospital for Saint Jude Thaddeus, the Catholic patron saint of hospitals, desperate cases and lost causes. Thomas was a struggling young entertainer when he knelt in a Detroit church before a statue of St. Jude Thaddeus and asked the saint to "show me my way in life and I will build you a shrine."

Thomas believed his prayer was answered, and he soon moved his family to Chicago to pursue career offers. In 1957, Thomas founded the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities (ALSAC), which helped him realize his dream. ALSAC is also the fundraising organization of St. Jude. Since St. Jude opened its doors in 1962, ALSAC has had the responsibility of raising the necessary funds to keep the hospital open. Memphis was chosen at the suggestion of Samuel Stritch, a Tennessee native who had been a spiritual advisor to Thomas since he presided at Thomas's confirmation in Thomas's boyhood home of Toledo, Ohio.
In 2010 St. Jude Children's Research Hospital was named the number one children's cancer hospital in U.S by U.S. News and World Report. If you ever have extra money this is a great place to send it and help the children.

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