Some members of our Maintenance departments doubled as Christmas elves when the Goodfellows came for their toy donations at GSH collected through the KHAS Present Patrol. The Goodfellows representatives came with a pick-up to get their donations, but as the handfuls and cartfuls continued to come out of the storage room where the collection box in the lobby had been emptied, it quickly became apparent that more horsepower was needed to get those toys where they needed to go. So our Maintenance guys Brian, Rick and Sid sprung into action, got one of the trucks they use for moves and loaded the toys in it instead. Check out all those toys!!

Words can’t express how thrilled I was to hear about this. Christmas is going to be brighter for lots of children thanks to the toys we collected here at GSH. Our mission is alive in big and small ways each day at GSH—and Christmas is no different. God bless each of you.

I send my best wishes for a Merry Christmas to you and yours, and a Happy New Year too!!

Mike

This morning, one of the meetings on my calendar was with the children at our daycare center! I was invited to their annual Christmas program last week, but I had a prior engagement and couldn’t attend. To make it up to them, I offered to come read stories today and they gladly took me up on it. My thanks to them for letting me crash their Friday morning schedule.

On our story line-up this morning: The Polar Express, The Night Before Christmas and The Night Before The Night Before Christmas (a new one to me). The kids were great, and as you might imagine, had some very thoughtful insights for me…

• Someone had mint hot chocolate last night.
• Someone else was having a sleepover tonight.
• One of the children was WAY ahead of me on The Polar Express—he went ahead and paraphrased what was coming next on each page.
• A little girl informed me that if you’re not nice, Santa will bring you toilet paper in your stocking. Incidentally, she also got a flu shot this year and did NOT like it.
• All of the children agreed that it was very important to be good and nice this time of year—at least for the next week anyway.

There’s nothing like the voice of a child to put life into perspective—especially at Christmas. We could all take a cue from these little ones when it comes to soaking up the wonder of the season.

Oh, and I hope none of you end up with toilet paper in your stockings.

It was great to see so many smiling faces at the employee Christmas party on Tuesday! Many thanks to everyone who came together to make that happen—the food was great, the entertainment was super and the whole event was a nice warm holiday happening. I included some pictures below from the party.

Better than all of the above, however, was the room where Project Snowflake donations were collected. I was overwhelmed by the generosity of our staff! The tables were literally overflowing with all sorts of donations. Preliminary totals of all donations are more than $2,000 higher than last year! The organizations receiving the donations were literally overwhelmed with emotion and can not believe the spirit of caring that our organization has. Through Project Snowflake, you all embody our mission, and it was nothing short of spectacular to be able to donate food, home goods, toys and cash to local agencies that will help our neighbors at this time of year.

Mike

Earlier in the day, members of the Administrative Team delivered goodie trays to all departments in festive style.

These are the folks from Family Advocacy Network who were thrilled with their donations.

You may have noticed some signs of Christmas around the hospital—including a gorgeous new tree in our main lobby. One of the many blessings of working for a Catholic hospital is the ability to joyously proclaim our heritage, our faith-based mission and to celebrate Christmas.  Christmas is that time each year when we give thanks and prepare for the coming of the Savior.  It is a time of great hope and confidence in the future.

You may be wondering if these decorations meet our policy, and yes, they do. We can have decorations and Christmas lights in the lobbies. However, before you begin decorating your work areas, please make sure whatever you do meets fire code. We never know when the fire marshals may show up again! That’s one “present” I hope we don’t get this season!

Christmas is a wonderful time for us to come together as an organization and reflect on the past year with great hope for the future. Please take a moment on Tuesday to join in our annual employee Christmas party from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Conference Center and in the RYH cafeteria. For those who work the night shift, you’ll receive a special Christmas meal served from midnight to 1:30 at GSH or 11:30 to 12:30 at RYH. Tuesday is also Project Snowflake collection day! I can’t wait to see those rooms overflowing with generosity for our less fortunate neighbors. What a terrific, visible example of how we live out our mission by improving the health of our community.

Our blessings are many. Reflecting on past Christmases gives me great appreciation for all that we have. And, at the same time, I’m amazed at how little changes over the years.  I thought you’d appreciate these remembrances of Christmases past at Good Samaritan Hospital as recorded by the Sisters of Saint Francis.

1935, End of year:

… the hospital has not made any very rapid or wonderful strides, but slowly and steadily it has proceeded down the years, meeting its problems as they come, holding its own, and hoping for better times. What more can be desired?

December 1944:

The Sisters from Duncan, Nebraska came for a visit during the holidays. We had a happy Christmas in Kearney. There was Midnight Mass and another later in the morning. Music by the Sisters' choir added to the beauty of the celebration, and our lovely crib is a new joy every year.

December 1945:

Sister Michaelia, our long-longed for organist arrived, now there is music in the air.

Toward the end of the year:

We experienced great joy. The last payment was made on the Good Samaritan Hospital's Mortgage. Now we can truly say: God and The Poor Sister of St. Franics, Incorporated. THANKS BE TO GOD.

I look forward to seeing you Tuesday afternoon, and for those of you with small children, Tuesday evening when Santa pays a visit! 

Mike

Here’s the new tree in the GSH main lobby.

This beautiful nativity scene is placed at the base of the lobby’s tree.

The view driving north on Central Avenue toward GSH.

One of my favorite traditions of the holiday season is gift giving. Thinking of the perfect gift for my wife is a great challenge, and even though my kids aren't little anymore, nothing beats the look on your children's faces when they open the present that was JUST what they wanted. (Even if you did stand in line in the cold at 3 a.m. on black Friday!)

Yet, I find that the most meaningful gifts we give at Christmastime are for those in need. This year, as they have for many years, the members of Leadership Council are not buying gifts for each other, but instead we'll each be participating in our Project Snowflake.  Good Samaritan Hospital gives generously to our community each year in many ways—and giving to those in need is an especially meaningful way of demonstrating our mission and values.

But I don't need to tell you that. I've recently learned about Project Snowflake—Good Samaritan's over 20-year-old tradition of giving to charity during the holidays. I think it is amazing that we are able to help support so many different agencies and programs through Project Snowflake, and each of these agencies are doubly thankful for donations during this season. What a meaningful legacy of giving that exemplifies our mission in a new light! While each of you make the story of the good Samaritan a living reality here at work, your generous donations to Project Snowflake for area organizations and families are a very visible example of your caring spirit throughout our entire community. 

When I heard about your donations that overflow the Conference Center rooms and the boxes and boxes of Christmas toys that are distributed to area children because of you, my heart was filled with gratitude and pride. The Sisters who founded this healing ministry 86 years ago would have been amazed, indeed, at the good works that you accomplish. I hope that each employee will participate in Project Snowflake in at least some small—or grand—way.

As we embark on the last month of 2010, I wish all of you a joy-filled and meaningful holiday season, and I thank you for all you do to support this organization's mission.

Mike

PS – I recently had an opportunity to be interviewed by Chris Schukei of KHAS-TV regarding our participation in their Present Patrol. I told him that we literally fill the conference rooms with our giving. He may be back on December 14 to see for himself and share with their viewers. Let's fill those rooms!

Here are some photos from last year's Project Snowflake collection day to get you in the spirit!

I've been a Nebraskan for almost six months now, and I couldn't be happier. As the title of my blog says, I'm a Husker rising too. This football season has made my orientation to Husker fan status pretty easy, and I have to tell you, I'm really excited for this Big 12 championship game tomorrow night. I may not be from Nebraska originally, but I also haven't been living under a rock: The Nebraska-Oklahoma rivalry is a big deal.

A quick stroll through the halls at GSH—especially on a game day—makes it pretty clear that we've got a lot of Husker pride here. In fact, earlier this season, Surgery hosted a tailgate party for its staff and physicians. It was a great time!

So, I'm officially on board the Husker Express—even when they play the Hawkeyes in Lincoln in November 2011! (However, when they play the Hawkeyes in IOWA, I must be an Iowa fan!) Was it a coincidence—or serendipity—that Nebraska announced its move to the Big 10 when I moved to Nebraska? J

Go Big Red!

Mike