Joy to the World, one dollar at a time.

Help St. Jude Children's Research Hospital help the Children of the World

During this Christmas season, Rehabmart.com will be donating $1 to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital for every time someone clicks the 'Like' button on the Rehabmart.com Facebook page, simply type in 'Rehabmart.com' in the search box on your own Facebook page.

A little history and the vision of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

When late entertainer Danny Thomas opened the doors to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in 1962, he was not just changing the lives of those children who would walk through its doors. He was changing lives across the world.

More than 70 years ago, Danny Thomas, then a struggling young entertainer with a baby on the way, visited a Detroit church and was so moved during the Mass, he placed his last $7 in the collection box. When he realized what he'd done, Danny Thomas prayed for a way to pay the looming hospital bills. The next day, he was offered a small part that would pay 10 times the amount he'd given to the church.

His career took a turn for the better, and soon he moved his family to Chicago to pursue career offers. A few years later, at another turning point in his life, Danny Thomas visited a church and remembered his pledge to St. Jude. Again he prayed to St. Jude and repeated his pledge to build a shrine to the saint if he would show him the way.

In 1955, Danny Thomas and a group of Memphis businessmen who had agreed to help support his dream seized on the idea of creating a unique research hospital devoted to curing catastrophic diseases in children. More than just a treatment facility, this would be a research center for the children of the world.

Danny Thomas started raising money for his vision of St. Jude in the early 1950s. Although Danny Thomas and his friends raised the money to build the hospital, they now faced the daunting task of funding its annual operation.

To solve this problem, Danny Thomas turned to his fellow Americans of Arabic-speaking heritage. Hebelieved that these Americans should, as a group, thank the United States for the gifts of freedom given their parents. Today, ALSAC is the nation's second largest health-care charity and is supported by the efforts of more than 1 million volunteers nationwide.

Through striking improvements in the care of pediatric leukemias and numerous forms of solid tumors, St. Jude, which now has a daily operating cost of $1.6 million, has brought about improved health care for children all over the world

Today, Danny and Rose Marie Thomas's children, Marlo, Terre and Tony, carry on their parents' work and remain a driving force in fulfilling their father's mission. Danny Thomas is gone, but his dream lives on.

The mission of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is to advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. Consistent with the vision of the founder, Danny Thomas, no child is denied treatment based on race, religion or a family's ability to pay.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's vision is to be the world leader in advancing the treatment and prevention of catastrophic diseases in children. This vision will be pursued by providing outstanding patient care; by conducting basic, translational and clinical research designed to elucidate biological mechanisms, understand disease pathogenesis, improve diagnosis, enhance treatment outcome, prevent diseases and minimize adverse consequences of treatment; and by educating health care and scientific research professionals. Through these efforts they seek to cure and enhance the quality of life for an increasing proportion of children who come to them for treatment, and by expanding and sharing knowledge, to advance treatment of children with catastrophic diseases worldwide, while developing strategies to prevent catastrophic diseases in children.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital values of ethical behavior are an important part of who they are, and their incorporation into the fabric of the institution directly impacts their ability to make progress toward achieving theirMission, while simultaneously strengthening their reputation.

• A commitment to provide their patients with the highest quality of medical and supportive care, and their families with the level of information and support necessary for them to make informed decisions and to become active participants in the care of their children.
• A commitment to respect the ethnic, cultural, religious and lifestyle differences of patients, their families, their colleagues and their supporters.
• A commitment to their donors that every dollar donated will be wisely spent toward achieving their Mission of advancing cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic disease through research and treatment.
• A commitment to a culture of excellence, innovation and creativity, not only in their research, but in everything they do.
• A drive and a sense of urgency to succeed.
• Honesty, integrity, and accountability intheiractions and decisions.
• A culture of trust and teamwork.
• Respect for the employees under theirsupervision.
• A commitment to the continual development of their employees.
• A commitment to diversity.
• A commitment to social responsibility and institutional citizenship on a local, state, national and global level

Excerpts and information is taken directly from the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital website. For more information on St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, please go to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

So please, enjoy the love and spirit of the Christmas season and help Rehabmart.com help St. Jude Children's Research Hospital by clicking on the 'Like' button on theRehabmart.com Facebook page. Every dollar earned can help save a child now and help the children of the future.


Bill Stock
Library Editor for Rehabmart
and
Hulet Smith, OT
Rehabmart Team Leader & CEO

** This promotion ended 12/25/2010, but you can still visit our page on Facebook and Like Rehabmart.com!