Riley Children's Foundation

Amber Miller of the Riley Children’s Foundation spoke to Kiwanis about the support Kiwanis has given to Riley Children’s Hospital over the years and the current Kiwanis initiatives with the Hospital.  In Hancock County in 2011, Riley served 210 children as inpatients and 2,939 children received outpatient service.

Kiwanis clubs statewide began raising money for Riley Children’s Hospital in 1919, five years before the Hospital opened.  In 1930, a specialized 50-bed unit, the Kiwanis K-Wing, opens primarily to care for children with orthopedic difficulties.  In 1958, The Kiwanis Diagnostic and Outpatient Clinic opened. The helipad, an elevator, a mobile NIC unit, pediatric diabetes research and many other projects have been made possible by contributions from Kiwanis.

Currently the campaign for Riley from Kiwanis is the 3 wishes campaign,  The campaign is to support children with autism and related disorders by:

·         Reduce the age of diagnosis from 63 months, nearly double the national average

·         Reach ALL children in the state by establishing regional hubs for diagnosis

·         Raise awareness statewide

Kiwanis has pledged over $1 million dollars to make these three wishes come true.

Greenfield Kiwanis supports Riley Children’s Hospital with funds provided by the Easter Candy Carrot sales and from other fundraisers as well.  For more information on Kiwanis and Riley see http://www.indkiw.org/news/riley-hospital-for-children/.