With the holidays in full swing, the McLaren Greater Lansing Foundation teamed up with local businesses, civic organizations, and hospital departments to spread holiday cheer across the mid-Michigan community.
For 11 years, McLaren Greater Lansing (MGL) departments have come together to decorate and donate trees and gifts to charities and families in the community as part of its A Simple Gift: Community Tree Program. This year, the foundation extended the invitation to participate to the Greater Lansing community.
Each group received a 3-foot artificial tree from the foundation and worked together to decorate and shop for items to share with a charity, family, or individual.
“We started this program years ago as a way to give back to our friends and neighbors,” Lynn Griffor vice president, McLaren Greater Lansing Foundation said. “This program not only spreads holiday joy, but it also provides a tree and gifts to people who otherwise might not have one during the holidays. It’s a small thing, but it makes a big difference.”
“Extending the program to include businesses and organizations in the community made the program even more of a success,” Griffor added. “We were able to give trees and gifts to around 20 additional recipients. This is a huge deal.”
Nearly 50 groups participated in the program and donated to local charities, as well as families or people in need. The participating groups and their recipients, respectively, are as follows:
MGL 4 Main | Operation Santa
MGL Administration | TBD
Allegra Marketing of Okemos | TBD
MGL Breslin Cancer Center | Family in need
Burcham Hills | Family in need
MGL Cardiac Cath Lab and Special Studies | Family in need
Carolly Maiyo | TBD
Cask & Co/Front 43 | Child and Family Charities
MGL Communications, COVID screeners, Environment of Care and Patient Relations | Women's Center of Greater Lansing
Corey's Lounge | Give-A-Kid-A-Christmas
MGL Environmental Services, 4 Chi, 5 South, Marketing, PACU, Respiratory and SICU | Toys for Tots
MGL Family Medicine Residency Clinic | Family in need
MGL Foundation | The Women's Center of Greater Lansing
MGL GEMS | Tri County Area on Aging
MGL Health Information Management/Medical Records | Helping Women Period
Huntington National Bank | Greater Lansing Food Bank
MGL Inpatient Pharmacy | Siren Eaton Shelter
Kelley Cawthorne | TBD
MGL Labor and Delivery | Pregnancy Services
MGL Laboratory | St. Vincent Catholic Charities
Lansing Board of Water & Light | Haven House
Lansing Medical Care Center | TBD
Local459 OPEIU | Charles Terry Food Pantry
Margaret Driver | TBD
Martin Waymire | Building Child and Family Initiatives, St. Vincent Catholic Charities, Refugee Development Center, and Lansing SAVE
McLaren Cardiovascular Group | Haven House
McLaren Dewitt Health Center | TBD
McLaren Grand Ledge Family Medicine | Operation Santa
McLaren Lansing Internal Medicine | Operation Santa
McLaren Portland Family Medicine | Operation Santa
MGL Multi-Specialty Clinic | New Hope Pet Rescue
MGL Non-Invasive Cardiology | New Hope Pet Rescue
NovaCare Rehabilitation | Volunteers of America - Family in need
NovCare Rehabilitation - West Lansing | TBD
Okemos Community Medical Center | Carter's Pajama Program
MGL OR/Same Day Surgery | Covell Family, Family in need
MGL PACU | Ingham County Animal Shelter
Paradise Motors | Cardboard Profits
MGL Pathology | 6-year-old boy
MGL Patient Access - Registrar | Cardboard Profits
MGL Patient Accounts/Central Scheduling, Patient Access | Advent House Lansing
MGL Patient Care Services and Nurse Educators | House of Promise
MGL Pennsylvania Infusion Center | Young ladies in need
MGL Quality | Cristo Rey Community Center
MGL Radiology Department | Family in need
Russ, Sarah, and Kannon Jennings | Humane Society
Sam Saboury | TBD
Staples | Homeless Angels
Additionally, photos of the trees were posted to McLaren Greater Lansing Foundation’s Facebook page where more than 700 people in the community voted on which one would be named Social Media Star Topper. This year’s winning tree was submitted by McLaren Greater Lansing Department 4 Main.
“Our team wanted to do something fun and positive to help bring Christmas cheer to the chaos that we have been facing as a community,” Candy Higbee, registered nurse in 4 Main said.
“The social media voting is another fun way to spread holiday cheer and show off the hard work each group put into decorating their trees,” Griffor said. “This year’s winner was the McLaren Greater Lansing Department 4 Main, but really, everyone’s a winner in this program. It’s all about giving back and making the holidays a little brighter for someone.”
To learn more about the McLaren Greater Lansing Foundation or the Community Tree Program, visit mglcampaignforcare.com.