Union County Hospital Back to School challenge helps teachers, students

Union County Hospital  in Anna recently held a Back to School department challenge to benefit area teachers and students.  

Hospital employees were challenged to assemble school supply gift baskets to benefit area teachers with extra supplies for the school year. 

“It was truly exciting to be able to offer this extra bit of help to a group of individuals who do so much for others,” Union County Hospital risk manager Stephanie Stroehlein said. 

“Teachers often spend their own money to purchase items and supplies for their classrooms and we wanted to do our part to ease that burden.”

Each hospital department was given a basket and asked to fill the basket with supplies that teachers and students may need throughout the school year.  

Judging criteria focused on theme, creativity and quantity of items.  

Many of the participating departments took it one step further and filled more than one basket or chose to create something even larger.  

Due to the overwhelmingly positive response by employees, the hospital was able to reach quite a few teachers and students.  

In all, 21 teachers and 10 students received gift baskets containing a multitude of supply items.   

Teachers were asked to register for the baskets and winners were pulled from those registrations.  

Of the registrations, baskets were given to teachers from Lincoln School in Anna, Jonesboro Elementary School, Anna-Jonesboro Community High School, Cobden Elementary School, Cobden High School, Goreville Elementary School, Vienna Elementary School, Tri-County Special Education, Shawnee Elementary School in Wolf Lake, the Egyptian Early Learning Center in Tamms and Joppa-Maple Grove Elementary School.