CHOP Honors Volunteers at Volunteer Leadership Summit

April 5, 2014 — The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia presented the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia with the 2014 Volunteer Organization of the Year Award during the Hospital’s 4th Annual Volunteer Leadership Summit at the Hyatt Regency Philadelphia on April 5. Nancy Wood was honored at the event with the 2014 HOPE Award for Distinguished Volunteer Service.

“We are thrilled to honor the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia with the Volunteer Organization of the Year Award,” said Stuart P. Sullivan, executive vice president and chief development officer at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “Through the dedication, drive, and tireless efforts of our partners at the Four Seasons, the Parkway Run is now one of the largest 5K runs in Philadelphia and the single largest fundraiser for CHOP’s Cancer Center. In the last eight years, total gifts from this annual event topped more than $6 million, all to benefit life-saving research and pediatric cancer survivorship programs at the Hospital.”

The Four Seasons Hotel has helped ensure the successful growth of CHOP’s annual Parkway Run & Walk, which it has hosted for more than 25 years. Several hundred hotel staff members work year-round to produce this event, which is truly engrained in the hotel’s culture. The Four Seasons is constantly thinking of new ways to grow and improve the event and help CHOP raise money for pediatric cancer research and survivorship programs. Under its sponsorship, this event has grown from about 900 registrants to a record of more than 10,000 in September 2013, and raised more than $1 million in 2013.

The Children’s Hospital also honored Nancy Wood for her volunteer efforts.

“Nancy Wood has dedicated countless hours to family-centered programs at CHOP, building lasting connections with our patients and their families,” said Sullivan. “She is incredibly talented, engaged, and enthusiastic, and is indispensable wherever she volunteers.”

For nearly 20 years Nancy Wood has been a dedicated volunteer at CHOP, offering her time and talents to diverse roles including serving as president of both the Auxiliary of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Executive Council of Volunteer Organizations. In addition to playing an essential role in leading fundraising activities, she is also an engaged volunteer within many vital programs that touch the lives of thousands of CHOP patients and families.

For the past decade Wood has volunteered regularly with the Wawa Cart, going room to room offering free beverages and a warm smile to patient families. She also promotes early childhood literacy through CHOP’s Reach out and Read Program, frequently reads to patients at CHOP’s South Philadelphia Primary Care Center, organizes book donation drives for patient families, and staffs Reach out and Read tables at book fairs.

Children’s Hospital’s Volunteer Leadership Summit brings together individuals from every area of the Hospital in an unprecedented gathering of the most dedicated volunteers. This event educates, inspires and provides a wonderful opportunity to exchange ideas with other volunteers, trustees and Hospital leadership. The day is an inspiration to all, ultimately showing how one person can make a difference in the lives of children and their families.