Children staying at WVU Children’s Hospital will have a new library of books to choose from thanks to generous donations made by the WVU Alumni Association’s nationwide network of chapters.

For nearly six months, alumni and friends have been collecting children’s books for patients at WVU Children’s Hospital as part of one of many community service projects developed by alumni chapters. Bill Toothman, alumnus and president of the Peach State Chapter, shipped more than 80 pounds of books to support this great cause.

“Many of our young children here in the Atlanta area have been fortunate enough to have the finest children’s reading material available, so it only seems appropriate that they share these marvelous books with the young patients at WVU’s Children’s Hospital so that they too can enjoy these wonderful books,” Toothman said. “This is a terrific opportunity for alumni around the nation to support WVU Children’s Hospital and the people it serves.”

This is the first year for the book donation project, and the collection has surpassed expectations.

“It’s as good for the staff as it is for the child and for the family,” says Cheryl Jones, director, WVU Children’s Hospital. “Children are often very afraid with the unfamiliar environment, and books are really comforting for them. It makes their hospitalization so much easier.”

Many alumni chapters held drives during game watches and other special events to collect new and gently used books during the past six months. The Lone Star Chapter of Houston, Texas, bought more than $1,200 worth of books from Amazon.com and shipped them directly to Morgantown.

“Alumni from all across the country worked together to support this book drive,” Jones said. “For the hospital, this is a wonderful donation we have received. We really want to thank the entire alumni network for their work.”

WVU alumni chapters give their time and support to many different philanthropic organizations in their local communities, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, Habitat for Humanity, and Adopt-a-Street, to name a few. Most recently, several alumni chapters raised funds for the Upper Big Branch Mine Disaster and the Haiti Relief Fund.

The book presentation kicked off the eve of the 68th Annual Gold & Blue Golf Tournament at Lakeview (to be held July 30). All proceeds from the golf tournament benefit the WVU Alumni Association for alumni programming and events. Additionally, the Gold & Blue On-Line Auction, held in conjunction with the tournament, raises money for the Loyalty Permanent Endowment Fund which provides more than 300 scholarships each year to deserving students. View the auction.

For more information about the WVU Alumni Association, visit http://alumni.wvu.edu or call Tara Curtis at the WVU Alumni Association at 304-293-0972.

-WVU-

kf/7/29/10

CONTACT: Tara Curtis, WVU Alumni Association,
304-293-0972 or 304-698-2472

Follow @wvutoday on Twitter.