Bridget Folliard of Chicago Helps Raise More Than $14,000 for Family Assistance Fund

2012 May 8

During the 2011-2012 school year, Bridget Folliard of Chicago, Ill. along with other Lewis University's WLRA Radio members and College of Nursing and Health Professions undergraduate nursing students raised $14,267 for the Lewis University Family Assistance Fund Advocate Hope Children's Hospital in Oak Lawn. More than $79,000 has been raised since the fund's inception more than a decade ago. The funds are used to assist families of hospitalized children in their greatest time of need. In the past, the funds have been used to pay for transportation to and from the hospital for children to have chemo therapy or outpatient services, medicine, clothes when being discharged, hotel rooms for families, bus passes and airline flights to the hospital.

The Lewis University Family Assistance Fund is the result of service learning collaboration between College of Arts and Sciences' Communications Department and College of Nursing and Health Professions' Professional Development course for the benefit of hospitalized children's families.

Under the leadership of Anne McShane, assistant professor and faculty chair, students in her Professional Development classes raise money throughout the year and host a "Change for Children" event each spring. Patrick Crowe and Jaimie Castonguay were the nursing student co-chairs for this year's event.

Lewis University's WLRA Radio Station held a "To Kill a DJ," a continuous on-air marathon with pledged support under the leadership of instructor John Carey and chaired by student Joshua Bowen. For additional information, please contact WLRA by telephone at (815) 836-5214 or via email at wlra@lewisu.edu.

Lewis University is a Catholic university offering distinctive undergraduate and graduate programs to nearly 6,500 traditional and adult students. Lewis offers multiple campus locations, online degree programs, and a variety of formats that provide accessibility and convenience to a growing student population. Sponsored by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, Lewis prepares intellectually engaged, ethically grounded, globally aware, and socially responsible graduates. The ninth largest private not-for-profit university in Illinois, Lewis has been nationally recognized by The Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report. Please visit http://www.lewisu.edu for further information.