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Bay Path collects gifts for Baystate Children’s Hospital

Date: 12/17/2015

LONGMEADOW – Bay Path University collected more than 300 holiday gifts for youth at Baystate Children’s Hospital during its annual employee holiday party on Dec. 14.

Donations include toys, games, strollers, books and other gift items for the for the hospital within a hospital at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, the only accredited children’s hospital in the region for infants, children and adolescents.

Bay Path University President Carol Leary told Reminder Publications the school’s faculty and staff contribute donations for different local nonprofit organizations each year, an annual endeavor for the past 21 years.

“This is the first time that Baystate Children’s Hospital has been the recipient and the way that we do this is we invite everybody in the community to make a recommendation to the Human Resources office and then they sit with a committee and pick out of many, many worthy organizations. Baystate came to the top this year,” she said.

Leary said she believes the Bay Path community understands how important toy and gift donations are to children around the holidays.

“When a child is in the hospital away from their families  – sometimes families that even might live not in the immediate region – this is a great opportunity to share a little bit of the joy of this season,” she noted. “I’m very proud of the generosity of the Bay Path community.”

Leary said Bay Path faculty and staff also gave monetary donations to Baystate Children’s Hospital.

Baystate Children’s Hospital Department of Pediatrics Chair Charlotte Boney, who joined Baystate approximately 11 months ago, said the hospital is grateful for the Bay Path’s support.

“I’m sort of overwhelmed by the generosity of Bay Path towards Baystate Children’s Hospital,” she added. “Their generosity of time and talent is remarkable. There are so many children who otherwise would not have much of a Christmas. Thanks to you you’ve brought some Christmas joy to those children. I am in awe that you’re really modeling what the Christmas spirit is really about.”

The event also featured Longmeadow High School senior Olivia Panetti, daughter of Bay Path Fitness Trainer Rob Panetti, singing holiday songs at the beginning of the event.

Leary said Olivia is set to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City sometime this spring.