News Releases
St. Luke's Hospital Pediatric Patients Receive Fun Center™
From Starlight Children's Foundation™, Qdoba Mexican Grill® And Qmmunity™ Winner Emily Dubois
CHESTERFIELD, MO, April 9, 2010
- Children undergoing treatment at St. Luke's Hospital are smiling brighter and laughing a little more, thanks to a Fun Center™ mobile entertainment unit sponsored through a partnership of Starlight Children's Foundation™, Qdoba Mexican Grill® and Qdoba's first-ever Qmmunity™ program winner, Emily DuBois. Designed to combat the anxiety and weariness faced by hospitalized children, the Fun Center includes a Nintendo Wii™ gaming system, a Sharp® AQUOS™ LCD TV and a DVD player. The Fun Center was unveiled to patients and hospital staff last Friday, April 2.
The Fun Center donation was part of Qdoba and Starlight's inaugural Qmmunity program, an online campaign to promote community heroes. As the winner of Qmmunity, Qdoba awarded Emily with $5,000 donated to her charity of choice, Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America. It also awarded her with a Fun Center to be donated on her behalf to St. Luke's Hospital, where she spent two months recovering from surgery related to ulcerative colitis.
"Emily is an inspiration to all of us, and we know the Fun Center will enrich the lives of our young patients and their families while at St. Luke's," said Diane Ray, RN, BSN,
St. Luke's Hospital director of nursing. "We are grateful to Emily, Qdoba and Starlight for this generous gift."
"After spending time in doctors' offices and hospitals myself battling ulcerative colitis for the past two years, I understand the importance of being able to provide patients with entertainment to help ease their pain and fears during a long stay," said Emily DuBois, Qmmunity winner and former St. Luke's patient. "I'm pleased to have been a part of the Qmmunity program and afforded the opportunity to help make a difference in the lives of the patients at St. Luke's, as the employees there have made such a great impact on mine."
The ease with which Fun Centers roll right up to the side of young patients' beds or anywhere in a hospital makes them perfect for hospitalized children in numerous situations such as anticipating surgery or fighting loneliness after visiting hours have ended. For more information, visit www.starlight.org/funcenter.
As part of Qdoba Mexican Grill's first national campaign with Starlight, the restaurant also committed to donating $1 for every online interaction with the Qmmunity Web site, up to $25,000. Qdoba selected Starlight as its national charity partner in 2008 and raised more than $115,000 in monetary contributions and in-kind donations of food and volunteer time in 2009. Qdoba has committed to raising $50,000 again for Starlight in 2010. In addition to its national commitment, Qdoba has hosted several local fundraising events to sponsor Fun Centers for hospitals in need. To date, units have been dedicated in Denver, Boston, Frisco, Colo., St. Louis, Atlanta and Seattle.
About St. Luke's Hospital:
St. Luke's Hospital, located in Chesterfield, Missouri, is a regional healthcare provider committed to improving the quality of life for patients and the community. The 493-bed, not-for-profit hospital offers more than 60 specialty areas including cardiovascular care and surgery, cancer care, neurosurgery and neurology, orthopedics, maternity and other women's health, general medicine, outpatient services, pediatrics and comprehensive surgical services.
St. Luke's was the only Missouri hospital recognized in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 as an America's 50 Best Hospitals™ by HealthGrades®, ranking among the top one percent in the nation based on superior clinical quality. St. Luke's is also the only Missouri hospital to receive the HealthGrades 2009/2010 Women's Health Excellence Award for providing quality healthcare to women.
St. Luke's Hospital is part of the Spirit of Women Hospital Network, a coalition of hospitals and healthcare providers across the United States that ascribes to the highest standards of excellence in women's health, education and community outreach. For more information about St. Luke's Hospital, please visit
www.stlukes-stl.com/newsroom
.
About Qdoba Mexican Grill®
Qdoba Mexican Grill is an artisanal Mexican kitchen where anyone can go to enjoy a fast, handcrafted meal prepared with fresh ingredients and innovative flavors. Each Qdoba restaurant showcases food that celebrates Qdoba's passion for ingredients, a menu full of innovative flavors, handcrafted preparation and inviting service. Founded in Denver in 1995, Qdoba is among the nation's largest Mexican fast-casual chains with more than 500 restaurants in 42 states and the District of Columbia. Qdoba is a wholly owned subsidiary of Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ: JACK). Franchise development rights exist for additional Qdoba Mexican Grill restaurants in areas throughout the nation. For more information about Qdoba or about franchising opportunities with the company, please visit
www.qdoba.com
.
About Starlight Children's Foundation™
When a child or teenager has a serious medical condition, everyone in the family is affected. For more than 25 years, Starlight Children's Foundation has been dedicated to helping seriously ill children and their families cope with their pain, fear and isolation through entertainment, education and family activities. Starlight's programs have been proven to distract children from their pain, help them better understand and manage their illnesses, and connect families facing similar challenges so that no one feels alone. Through a network of chapters and offices, Starlight provides ongoing support to children, parents and siblings in all U.S. states and Canadian provinces with an array of outpatient, hospital-based and Web offerings. Programs are also delivered internationally through affiliates in Australia, Japan and the United Kingdom. To learn more visit
www.starlight.org
.
About the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America
The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation's mission is to cure Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis and to improve the quality of life of children and adults affected by these diseases. The Foundation ranks third among leading health non-profits in the percentage of expense devoted to research toward a cure, and more than 81 cents of every dollar the Foundation spends goes to mission-critical programs. The Foundation consistently meets the standards of organizations that monitor charities, including the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance (give.org) and the American Institute of Philanthropy (charitywatch.org). For more information, contact the Foundation at 800-932-2423 or visit
www.ccfa.org
.
About the Mid-America Chapter
The Mid-America Chapter of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation serves Missouri, Kansas, Southern Illinois and North Central Arkansas. The chapter's services include:
- Education programs for patients and health care professionals
- Access to the most current research
- Support groups
- CCFA website
- Fundraising for research grants to the leading IBD researchers in the United States
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