Latest news with #CHOC
The Citizen
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
Support kids by wearing funky socks on September 12
Put your best foot forward and showcase your whacky and most out-there socks, in support of PNA's Funky Socks Day, on September 12. Knock their socks off, get your R10 sticker at your favourite stationery outlet and help them reach their goal of raising R2.5m in aid of charity. Not only does the Funky Sock Day give you the licence to sport your zaniest footwear, it will enable PNA to inspire generosity and support critical causes as they continue to empower vulnerable children, support young cancer patients, promote literacy and uplift early childhood infrastructure. ALSO READ: Help dress 1 500 matriculants: Award-winning charity calls for community support Funds raised will benefit Breadline Africa, CHOC (Childhood Cancer Foundation), Rally to Read and Matla a Bana. What are you waiting for? Stickers are now on sale. Pull up your socks and get yours now.
CBS News
26-06-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Huntington Beach's e-bike program seeks to educate riders, drop staggering amount of accidents
Huntington Beach city leaders on Wednesday announced the nation's first police-led student e-bike safety program, which they say is a direct response to a staggering number of crashes involving young riders in recent years. During a news conference, they disclosed that in the last three years police have seen e-bike-related crashes have more than doubled, jumping from 72 in 2022 to 147 in 2024. Projections suggest that this year could surpass 160, which would be a 120% increase since their study began. "This is a public safety issue we can't afford to ignore," said a statement from Huntington Beach Mayor Pat Burns. "We're seeing too many kids injured in preventable crashes. This program is about giving them the tools to ride safely and confidently." The decision comes in light of a troubling trend based on data from the Children's Hospital Orange County, which shows that youth e-bike trauma cases have increased more than 1,500% since 2019. "We're seeing more serious head injuries because kids are riding at high speeds with no helmet and no training," said Amy Frias, CHOC/Rady Children's Health Community Safety Educator and Safe Kids OC Coordinator. "It's a dangerous combination, and the numbers we're seeing in the trauma center are only part of the story." Huntington Beach leads all of the county in "micromobility-related trauma" admissions in riders under 18, and since 2023 Huntington Beach police have responded to more than 1,300 nuisance calls related to e-bikes. The program was developed by the Huntington Beach Police Department and aims to improve rider safety through education and hands-on training. The course is entirely free and includes instruction from officers on emergency braking, obstacle navigations, reaction-time awareness and helmet use. Parents are required to attend the classes with their children, which hopes to create a shared learning experience focused on safety on the road and at home, police said. "We've seen the data. We've taken the calls. Now we're taking action," said Police Chief Eric Parra in a statement. "This is about education, not punishment. We're giving families a real opportunity to build safer habits - and we hope other cities will follow our lead." Each session will run just over an hour, placing an emphasis on replicating real-world scenarios at different and increasingly challenging speeds. So far, two dozen officers with 10 different Southern California agencies have completed the 40-hour Peace Officer Standards and Training-certified course, which was developed by HBPD Sergeant Mike Thomas.
IOL News
14-06-2025
- Health
- IOL News
From cancer treatment to marathon triumph: Dr Naven Naidoo's inspiring journey
It was a tick off the bucket list for cancer survivor Dr Naven Naidoo when he completed the ultimate human race, the Comrades Marathon. Naidoo, an orthopedic surgeon from Umhlanga, was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2014. He underwent surgery and chemotherapy treatment. Now cancer free, he ran the iconic race on Sunday, June 8, and supported the Childhood Cancer Foundation (CHOC) charity. Naidoo joined over 22 000 runners who set off from Pietermaritzburg City Hall on a gruelling 89.98km run to People's Park in Durban in the 98th running of the world famous Comrades Marathon. "After my cancer treatment I focused on my work. My wife is very much into health and fitness. I did Park Runs every week, but nothing long distance. Running the Comrades is something I always wanted to do. In October last year I completed the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon with a qualifying time for the Comrades. "In November I started training for Comrades and participated in three more long distance marathons in preparation for Comrades," he said.
IOL News
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Comrades Marathon runners chipped in with over R6 million for local charities
The CHOC Cows were looking udderly amoozing at their water point in Hillcrest. Image: Supplied This year's Comrades Marathon not only saw thousands of runners pounding the pavement from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, but it also became a powerful catalyst for change, raising over R6 million through the Comrades Marathon Association's Amabeadibeadi Charity Drive. The funds generated during Sunday's event will benefit six deserving charities, each represented by passionate participants aimed at making a difference in their communities. Since its inception in 1996, the Amabeadibeadi initiative has been integral in supporting vital organisations, including the Childhood Cancer Foundation South Africa (CHOC), SANParks Honorary Rangers, Community Chest, Rise Against Hunger, Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust (HACT), and Childline KwaZulu-Natal. CHOC has emerged as a leading beneficiary this year with R2.5 million raised, thanks in large part to the enthusiasm of the runners known as the "CHOC Cows." Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Manager Jayde McCarthy expressed pride in the fundraising effort. 'We did super well with our cows being absolutely amoozing!' she said. McCarthy highlighted the remarkable contribution of fundraiser Ida van de Wetering, who single-handedly secured R165,000. 'It's incredibly motivating to consider that we are running on behalf of children battling cancer,' she added. The CHOC Cows at their water point in Hillcrest during the Comrades Marathon. Image: Supplied The festive mood at the CHOC water station in Hillcrest was palpable, where participants and supporters danced, mooed, and shared joy with high fives and hugs. 'Our sponsor, Balwin, made that spot possible, and we are so grateful!' McCarthy exclaimed, as vibrant cow prints adorned the space. The SANParks Honorary Rangers team at their watering hole in Camperdown. Image: SANParks Honorary Rangers/ Facebook This year marked the second occasion that SANParks Honorary Rangers participated in the marathon, with representative Peter Zietsman sharing insights about their commitments: 'Due to financial limitations, we have certain capital expenditure requirements that cannot be met. Events like these allow us to fill those gaps for SANParks to achieve its objectives in terms of community responsibilities.' Their watering hole, featuring two grand blow-up elephants, served as a reminder of their mission to protect South Africa's natural heritage. Community Chest's executive director, Gordon McDonald, also spoke passionately about their purpose for the funds raised. 'The money will be spent on early childhood development because there's a critical problem with children not receiving enough early education,' he explained. The Community Chest team at their refreshment station. Image: Community Chest/ Facebook With a focus on offering nutritious food and stimulating educational programmes, Community Chest supports approximately 7,800 children daily in vulnerable areas around Pietermaritzburg and Durban. Their refreshment station, strategically placed 1.5 km from the finish line, became a point of encouragement for runners along the challenging route.
Los Angeles Times
16-05-2025
- Health
- Los Angeles Times
Employees spearhead project at CHOC to encourage bonding with one another
Part of Monica Gil's new-hire orientation at Children's Hospital of Orange County earlier this month involved a photo session. A meaningful message she chose was written on her right bicep with a marker — which was followed by a quick photo shoot. Gil chose '¡Si Se Puede!' 'I love the project of Dear Hospital. It was really cool,' Gil said. 'And I wrote 'Si Se Puede,' which means 'Yes You Can' because I think you can turn anything into positive. And anything you want, you can do it. 'I have a son and I can teach him the same thing. That anything you want to do, you can make it happen.' The photo session is part of a larger project called Dear Hospital that was spearheaded by three CHOC employees as a way to encourage connection, camaraderie and mental health awareness among hospital employees. The idea sprouted from the American Assn. of Critical-Care Nurses' National Teaching Institute conference in May 2022 attended by Jennifer Hayakawa, CHOC's director of Nursing Research and Innovation. It was the first in-person nursing conference after the pandemic. Hayakawa was interested to see how the conference would inspire nurses experiencing burnout, defeat and isolation post-pandemic. The Institute partnered with Dear World storytelling company, which led the nurses at the conference through a unique experience. 'We wrote the short, meaningful messages on each other and as we did that and stood in line, people opened up to each other,' Hayakawa said. 'We shared stories, we cried, we laughed, we bonded and we healed. And I was just so in awe of what happened and the power of that, that I was like, 'How do I bottle it up and bring it back to CHOC?' Because I know, our nurses felt that way as well.' On her return to the hospital in Orange, Hayakawa pitched it to her chief nurse and was allowed to move forward with finding funding and working with Dear World to customize the program to a hospital setting — which hadn't been done before. They received a $100,000 grant from #FirstRespondersFirst, a fund sponsored by the Entertainment Industry Foundation as part of the campaign ALL IN: Well-Being First for Healthcare. They began the program with the CHOC executive management team and continued with the nurses. 'And then we expanded and expanded and now it's part of clinical orientation, so all of the new hires that are taking care of patients and families are all onboarded with this experience — so we do it every two weeks,' Hayakawa said. With the help of Dear World, Hayakawa and CHOC Clinical Research Nurse Coordinator Paulina Schuhler learned how to take the photography — which is in black and white — and conduct the sessions, which also involve getting the participant's personal story. With licensing and certification from Dear World, they eventually hired from within CHOC and trained 10 storytellers who facilitate the sessions. They also eventually partnered with Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts to have student photography interns take the photos. Part of customizing the program to a hospital setting included designing the sessions so that employees could have the experience and then continue on with their work of caring for patients and families. 'We had to really put some guardrails around the experience to get them to tell more joyful stories to still be deep and meaningful, but to do it in a safer way that allows them to continue with their day to day,' Hayakawa said. 'We'll still sometimes get trauma unleashed — it happens. And we actually have incorporated that into a discussion about mental health. We use those in onboarding to say, 'You know what we do here is tough and it's OK to not be OK.' And here are the resources and support system that are available to you as an employee or as a member of the community as well. Because that's an important conversation to have.' As the program has developed, the Dear Hospital team works with different departments and groups. For new-hire orientation, the sessions focus on CHOC values to develop stories, but the team also continues to do two-hour sessions for retreats and groups like social workers and frontline nurses. 'Most recently our patients and families have started doing it,' Hayakawa said. They partnered with the Child Life team to target adolescents and young adults, and had them reflect on inner strengths. 'At that age a lot of them are struggling to find their inner strengths and to talk about themselves in a positive way,' Hayakawa said. 'So that exercise in and of itself was really good. But then they were able to pull stories from their healthcare journey that reflect on those inner strengths. It was a really meaningful experience for them. We had a really good time with that. We've been featuring some of those stories.' Another element of Dear Hospital now is a pop-up exhibit that happens quarterly and displays the photos and stories of participants in the hospital lobby for about a week. The first exhibit was in September 2024. Their third exhibit was nurse-themed and ended May 9, taking place in time for National Nurses Week. They also had a mini version of the exhibit at CHOC at Mission Hospital. With more than 1,800 participants since the program launched, the Dear Hospital team has plenty of stories to tell. The next exhibit takes place in July. During the photography sessions, messages — also known as 'brain tattoos' — are written where the participants choose on their body with a skin-safe marker. The ink can be removed with baby wipes following the session. At the recent pop-up exhibit at CHOC's Orange location, messages like 'Invisible, I See You,' 'It's OK to be Different' and 'Here to Serve' were featured on participants' arms and hands in the large black-and-white photos. Hayakawa said they've had participants have messages on the face, neck, chest (where it's not too revealing) and stomach. Some participants might cover their face for the photo. 'The pop-up kind of serves as a purpose to share what we do,' said Rebecca DeAnda, department assistant for Nursing Research and Innovation. 'We can choose from this huge collection of photos we have and feature some of those but also give some representation for what Dear Hospital is. And so it has brought a lot of new departments who are interested.' DeAnda said the program has been very well received and helps break down barriers. 'We all have something important to say,' she said. 'And something that is important to me should matter. Having that connection and fellowship is really at the core of what we do at CHOC and why it makes this special.' At the May 6 photo session, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Nurse Nichole Johnson chose 'Powered by Purpose' as the message on her arm. 'Part of it is the reason why I still work in the ICU, the reason why I still do what I do,' Johnson said. 'ICU is a hard place to work and I Iove it. Yeah, it gives me purpose to work there.'
