Florida Hospital DeLand Employees Donate Christmas Gifts for Local Families

DELAND, Fla., December 22, 2016, On Dec. 19, Florida Hospital DeLand employees gathered for a special prayer and celebration to bless a stack of gifts, which they purchased and donated to local families in need.

The reason we give gifts at Christmas is that Jesus has been such a gift to us, said Dan Ocampo, Florida Hospital DeLand chaplain, before the group joined in prayer. People have made sacrifices so that these gifts can be given to children in need.

The donated gifts will be delivered to 20 families, giving 63 kids presents to unwrap this Christmas.

I'm so proud to be part of an organization that has people with this much love in their heart, who want to share our blessings with others in our community, said Lorenzo Brown, Florida Hospital DeLand CEO. The folks that we help with these gifts are coming from some of the poorest parts of the state. Without us stepping in, many of them would go without anything on Christmas day.

Before sending the gifts to families in need at the House Next Door, the hospital employees gathered in fellowship, enjoying music from the Christian group Promise.

We've been doing this for over a decade, and what always hits me and my heart is that this is a total effort from the hospital staff and it benefits the neediest families we have, said Steve Sully, House Next Door executive director.

The House Next Door has served more than 50,000 families since 1976, assisting parents in retaining, or in many cases achieving for the first time, strong positive parental leadership and respectful relationships within the family. The programs at The House Next Door serve children in school, the community, and their home.

This program is another example of Florida Hospital DeLand's mission to extend the healing ministry of Christ. In 2015, the Florida Hospitals in Volusia and Flagler counties collectively contributed nearly $120 million in benefits to the underprivileged, the community's overall health and wellness and spiritual needs, and capital improvements.

About Florida Hospital DeLand

Florida Hospital DeLand is a member of Adventist Health System, a faith-based health care organization with 46 hospital campuses and nearly 8,200 licensed beds in 10 states. With 164-beds, Florida Hospital DeLand is one of the six Florida Hospitals in Volusia and Flagler counties that composes the Florida Hospital East Florida Region. As the largest hospital system in the area, the Florida Hospital East Florida Region has 923 beds and more than 6,000 employees. With a mission to extend the healing ministry of Christ, the Florida Hospital East Florida Region collectively contributed nearly $120 million in benefits in 2015 to the underprivileged, the community's overall health and wellness and spiritual needs, and capital improvements.