As part of Reading Hospital’s 15th annual “Stuff the Bus” project, employees generously donated thousands of classroom supplies for Reading School District students and teachers. From plastic pencil boxes and colorful folders to index cards, the items were placed in 'Dream Boxes', which will help to create a robust learning environment for children in our community.
The hospital’s Magnet Champion Team plans and coordinates the effort, which includes partnering with various departments to adopt classrooms and fulfill their wish lists. This year, staff collected supplies for the 21 school nursing offices in the district and 112 classrooms at Glenside Elementary School, Millmont Elementary School, and Tyson-Schoener Elementary School.
“This is an event our nursing team looks forward to working on every year,” said Nicole Betton, BSN, RN, CNOR, Operating Room Nurse, and Organizer of the annual “Stuff the Bus” event. “We love to give back to our community and this event is a great opportunity to ensure children in our community are poised for a great school year.”
Projects like Stuff the Bus demonstrate the power of community partnerships, said Charles F. Barbera, MD, Reading Hospital president and CEO. “I’d like to extend an immense thank you to the Magnet Nursing Team for their hard work on this year’s collection,” he said. “By nature, those who work in healthcare are among the most compassionate individuals and the success of this program demonstrates our team’s commitment to our community.”
Dr. Jennifer Murray, superintendent of the Reading School District, added, “We are incredibly grateful to the staff at Reading Hospital for their outstanding commitment to our students and educators through the 2024 Stuff the Bus campaign. Thank you for your continued support of our students, teachers, and school nurses, helping them to improve student learning and student health."