Eighteen employees from Kettering Health Miamisburg, Franklin, and Behavioral Medical Center teamed up to provide shoes to students in need at George H. Gerke Elementary School in Franklin. They partnered with Shoes 4 the Shoeless, a Dayton-based nonprofit that provides new, properly fitting tennis shoes and socks to Southwest Ohio children in need.
The event was organized by KH Miamisburg’s Shared Governance Council.
Kayla Harton, a registered nurse at KH Miamisburg and chair of the Shared Governance Council committee, reflected on the time the group spent packaging and providing shoes to be distributed to disadvantaged children.
“This event was so fulfilling and humbling! It truly opened our eyes to the less fortunate in our community and was such a great experience to not only give back to our community, but also warm our own hearts with the limited time we got to build relationships with these children.”
Kayla shared that at KH Miamisburg, there is an unmistakable sense of family–not just in co-workers at the facility, but in the community at-large. She joked that it’s not uncommon for a new patient to recognize the staff from outside the hospital setting.
In her mind, it all ties together: family, community, and care. “It is this sense of family that we feel is the reason many of our staff have worked here for so long, and why much of our community chooses our facility for care,” she explained. “This ties back to our Kettering Health mission and helps us provide not only the best physical care for our patients, but also build emotional and spiritual relationships with them that sometimes last beyond the bedside setting.”
The team already has their next Shoes 4 the Shoeless event scheduled for May 16, and they have a long list of ideas for additional community involvement this year.
Lisa Hill, director of Nursing at KH Miamisburg, who was also involved in planning and participating in the event, said the campus’ relationship with the community is part of its identity. “KH Miamisburg has always had strong ties to our community, and we hope to continue that into the future.”
