The Crown Labs national sales team, visiting the Johnson City headquarters spent the morning at the Build-A-Bear store in The Mall at Johnson City putting together the toy bears. Crown representatives are, from the left: Tony Valencia: Miami, FL; Gaylord VanGuilder, Crown Executive Vice President; Natasha Melnychuk: Philadelphia, PA; and Scott Casey: Orange County, CA. Photo by Bill Derby
Crown Laboratories, Inc., made a $12,500 donation to the 2016 Niswonger Children’s Hospital Radiothon Tuesday, and also presented a gift of 40 Build-A-Bears to the hospital.
The fourth annual radiothon begins Monday. Food City is a Platinum sponsor along with Crown. Holston Valley Broadcasting Corp. will air the radiothon on all six of its radio stations, broadcasting live from the lobby of Niswonger Children’s Hospital. Phone-bank teams will be set up at Niswonger, Indian Path Medical Center in Kingsport and Johnston Memorial Hospital in Abingdon, Va.
The radiothon is part of the campaign to raise $500,000 to create a special unit in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) designed to treat babies who are born addicted to drugs. The newborns who are going through drug withdrawal after birth suffer from neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), a condition that can cause sensitivity to light, excessive or high-pitched crying, fever, irritability, sleep problems, seizures and many other symptoms.
“We are so grateful to Crown Laboratories for helping us get off to a great start with the radiothon,” said Lisa Carter, CEO of Niswonger Children’s Hospital. “Neonatal abstinence syndrome is a growing problem across the country and especially in our region, so this new unit is vital.
“Crown has stepped up to set a great example for the rest of the community. What they’ve done will truly help make a difference in the lives of our NAS babies and their families.”
Crown Laboratories, Inc., in Johnson City is a specialty pharmaceutical company and the manufacturer of Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen, among many other products.
“We do care about the community and we want to give back,” said Jeff Bedard, President and CEO of Crown Laboratories. “Our mission is to positively impact the lives of all the people we touch, whether it’s our employees or the community, and helping Niswonger Children’s Hospital is a great way to do that. We’re happy to partner with Mountain States and Niswonger Children’s Hospital to help these children and positively impact the people around here.
“We hope it will spark others in the community to give what they can.”
The 40 Build-A-Bears, valued at $2,500, are stuffed teddy bears that are assembled and customized through an interactive process with customers.
The 2016 radiothon will be broadcast Feb. 29-March 1 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Holston Valley Broadcasting’s family of radio stations – 98.5 WTFM, 95.9 The Hog WRZK, Classic Hits 102.7 WVEK, FM94! WMEV, and ESPN Tri-Cities. Teams of phone volunteers will make and receive calls for donations both days. At Indian Path Medical Center and Johnston Memorial Hospital, the phone teams will be working from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The radiothon is organized by a volunteer committee chaired by local businessmen Joe Grandy and Don Raines.
For more information or to make a donation, call 302-3131 or visit niswongerchildrensradiothon.com. During the two days of the radiothon, people wishing to donate can call 855-611-KIDS (5437).
