Just What the Doctor Ordered: RE/MAX Gold Delivers Some Fun to CMN for the Holidays
From left to right: Stephenie Flood, RE/MAX Gold VP of Operations, Zeebee, CMN, UCDCH Facility Pup, Ginger Layton, CMN, UCDCH Child Life Specialist, Diana Sundberg, CMN, UCDCH Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Manager, and John Shook, RE/MAX Gold Office Manager in Elk Grove.
RE/MAX Gold wanted to do something amazing for the holidays to lift the spirits of the children and their families at Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) at UC Davis Children’s Hospital (UCDCH) in Sacramento. So when we heard about the brilliant idea of Mark Forster, a Realtor from RE/MAX Gold in the Elk Grove office, we all agreed it just might be what the doctor ordered!
Mark said the idea to provide child-sized sports cars for the kids during their stays at the hospital came about when he started looking into ways to make a difference through CMN.
Taking Mark’s lead, the Elk Grove office manager, John Shook, donated the cars and (fast forward a few short weeks) delivered two super-cool, child-sized sports cars, one black and one white, all gussied up for the children. Our apologies in advance, to those who may be dodging and scrambling out of the way as the tiny cars zoom through the halls of UCDCH, transporting pint-sized patients within the hospital. “I mean after all,” John said, “riding in a wheelchair can be fun, but who wouldn’t prefer a ride in a RE/MAX-clad sports car that’s just your size?!”
"We are honored to carry on our partnership with CMN and UCDCH,” said Stephenie Flood, RE/MAX Gold VP of Operations. “Our agents continue to generously donate to the children and families through each ‘Miracle Home’ they sell. We hit the $1 million mark in donations to CMN earlier this year and are now working toward $2 million to help many more children and families."
Our 106 RE/MAX Gold offices throughout California and Nevada, including the Elk Grove office, love this organization and the wonderful people who work there. People like Diana Sundberg, Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Manager at UCDCH, who told us when she heard about the idea, “the cars will be a great tool for children to help with the transition to the operating room,” and explained how the separation from parents can often be difficult as can the anticipation of surgery. “Driving the car to the operating room will provide a touch of control and a little splash of fun to help ease some of the anxiety,” Diana said.
It brings us all great joy at RE/MAX Gold to help the children at UCDCH any way we can. CMN fundraisers are planned throughout the year and hosted by our offices and Miracle Agents, like Mark, who continuously step up to promote the program.
And we’re not done yet. The idea was such a hit, another car is being purchased in the very near future to terrorize the halls of yet another CMN hospital for the new year!
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