St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital receives donation from Atlantic Cares

    When kids have cancer or other life-threatening diseases, they need the best medical treatment possible -- but they also need to just be kids. They need music, art, playgrounds and comforting spaces to hang out with family and friends.

    Thanks to donations from people who care about children -- including us here at Atlantic Logistics -- that can be found at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, a world-renowned organization headquartered in Memphis, Tenn. The hospital was selected by Kati Callahan, a Logistics Specialist at Keystone, for January’s Atlantic Cares donation.  

    Kati chose St. Jude because its mission is close to her heart.

    “I didn't have the privilege of having children of my own, so I wanted to do something to help other children,” Kati said. “It hurts me to see kids who are sick -- I just want them all to be well. And St. Jude is a great organization that makes that possible.”

   Kati is just one of many Atlantic Logistics employees who have been able to choose which nonprofit organization will benefit from our monthly Atlantic Cares program.

    “At many companies, corporate giving is top-down with the beneficiaries chosen by CEOs,” said Corporate Communications Specialist Jaimie Wilson. “But things are different here. We want all our employees to be participants in our giving culture. That’s why we created the Atlantic Cares program. Each month we give $1 per load to a worthy cause.”

    Our January donation will be used to support day-to-day operations at St. Jude, as well as funding research and covering the cost of life-saving treatment and patient care. According to public relations specialist Julia DiGeronimo, no family at St. Jude ever receives a bill for treatment, travel, housing, or food so they can focus on helping their child live.

    “Donations also ensure a future for St. Jude as it continues to grow and works to provide cures for childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases,” DiGeronimo said. Current research areas include brain tumors, blood disorders, infectious diseases, sickle cell, vaccines and more than a dozen other areas. The center’s discoveries are always shared with other scientists throughout the world. St. Jude also shares anti-cancer drugs with countries who have fewer resources.

    However, research and medical care are only a part of what St. Jude can provide. Recently, St. Jude opened a brand-new, multi-million-dollar floor called Family Commons that provides care and respite to patients and their families. It includes classrooms, a café, a childcare center, a sacred space for meditation, a science lab, an art studio, a music space with a recording studio, a “makerspace” for hands-on learning and invention, inside and outside. Playgrounds and much more.

In between clinical appointments and treatments, kids and their folks will be able to access some peace and ordinary life.

For more information about St. Jude, go to www.stjude.org.

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