We Show Up for Our Schools activities 2024

Nashville, TN — Each year, thousands of students begin a new school year without the essential supplies needed to create the proper framework for learning. Teachers often reach into their own pockets to fill this gap, sometimes spending up to $750 of their own money to fund supplies for their classrooms, according to the National Education Association. Even with Florida’s extended tax-free holiday this year, many students and classrooms still lack fundamental resources needed to learn and succeed.

But thanks to HCA Florida Healthcare, tens of thousands of school supplies are now available for free to Florida students and teachers. During the month of August, the state’s largest healthcare network organized supply drives to equip classrooms across Florida through its “We Show Up for Our Schools” initiative.

HCA Florida Healthcare colleagues across the state collected more than 22,000 individual school supplies and provided other necessary classroom items during the annual drives. Communities throughout Florida were impacted by the generosity of HCA Florida Healthcare’s efforts to give back to their communities.

Highlights from “We Show Up for Our Schools”

• Five hospitals in HCA Healthcare’s North Florida Division gathered 10,319 school supplies, equating to more than 1,875 pounds of items. Colleagues collected $4,500 worth of supplies.
• Over 500 Tallahassee children attended HCA Florida Capital Hospital’s school distribution event, receiving some of these much-needed supplies directly.
• Colleagues in HCA Healthcare’s West Florida Division collected over 10,000 school supply items—including 735 backpacks stuffed with supplies and 100 bicycles—for area children and contributed more than $10,000 to area teacher supply stores.
• HCA Florida Blake Hospital in Manatee contributed $5,000 to the Early Learning Coalition of Manatee County Teacher Supply Station which allows teachers access to free school supplies for their classrooms.
•  In Clay County, HCA Florida Orange Park Hospital supported the United Way of Northeast Florida’s Stuff the Bus event to support 47 schools and over 40,000 students, more than a third of whom live at or near the poverty line.
• HCA Florida Highlands Hospital collected over 1,000 individual school supplies to be donated to Healthy Families Highlands, a local program equipping caregivers with the resources they and their children need to succeed at home, in school and in life.

“At HCA Florida Healthcare, we are committed to caring for and improving human life, and this coordinated effort is another step toward fulfilling that mission. Our annual ‘We Show Up for Our Schools’ initiative is a meaningful way for our colleagues to give back to the communities where we live and work. The supplies we collect ensure teachers have the resources they need to accelerate learning and the students in our communities can stay healthy and focus on learning,” said Denise Kendust, AVP of community engagement for HCA Healthcare’s North Florida Division.

Showing up for each other during Hurricane Debby

While most of the school supplies were distributed to other organizations or to local schools, HCA Florida Lake City Hospital supported students within their own walls. When Hurricane Debby made landfall in the area on August 5, just as school was beginning, hospital colleagues were focused on assisting patients and assessing damage in their homes and neighborhoods. The hospital activated supply stations to provide essentials for colleagues displaced or disrupted by the storm. Employees were able to shop at the hospital to select hygiene items, food and school supplies for their own children at no cost.

Michelle Bradley, a registered nurse in the Intensive Care Unit at HCA Florida Lake City Hospital, worked overtime care to ensure patients received uninterrupted care prior to, during and after the hurricane. Because of the storm, she did not have an opportunity to shop for new school supplies for her three children. But thanks to Lake City Hospital’s colleague resources, Bradley received what she needed for her family. She described the support as “great” to get off work and have supplies available to her. “It was a tough week,” Bradley said, “but being able to get snacks for the kids for school, fresh fruits, bread and school supplies took a weight off of me.”

Showing up across the state

HCA Florida Healthcare proudly partners with community organizations and institutions across the state to create healthier tomorrows for Florida residents. Through national partnerships focused on mental wellness, statewide collaborations with educators to introduce students to careers in healthcare and dozens of other local agreements and sponsorships, the healthcare network makes significant investments in bettering the lives and communities it serves. In 2023, colleagues from 650 facilities volunteered more than 29,000 hours and committed more than $2.18 million to community partner organizations in the Sunshine State.

To learn more about HCA Florida Healthcare’s community involvement.