Baptist Health South Florida gives back to community
Organization holds day of service to support Habitat for Humanity
Lending a Helping Hand — Baptist Health South Florida participates in the Habitat for Humanity project.
Proud Moment — Terri Ulmer proudly stands by her home which was sponsored by Baptist Health South Florida.
Submitted by Bernadette Morris
Baptist Health South Florida employees always jump on the opportunity to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, having sponsored 24 homes in over 20 years. Recently, Baptist Health employees of diverse backgrounds joined forces for a special Day of Service: Caring for Our Community to help revitalize and improve homes for low income families.
“We ended up having 55 Baptist Health South Florida employees and family members who worked hard for five hours. The volunteers were split up among five homes,” said Arlenna Williams, AVP of Baptist Hospital of Miami and immediate past chair of the Habitat for Humanity Miami Board of Directors.
Williams went on to add that the Baptist crew did exterior painting (including prep) on four homes. The gracious organization also sponsored the home of one of its employees – Terrie Ulmer, for which the crew handled landscaping in the front and back yard (including removing debris, laying grass, and planting trees and flowers).
Baptist Health South Florida held an informal program prior to the revitalization project start. Akeem Brutus of Commissioner Audrey Edmonson’s Office was there to network with the new home-owners in Liberty City (Commissioner Edmonson’s district). Additionally, Baptist Health’s Chaplain, Rick Morrow gave a moving invocation and Arlenna Williams, provided opening remarks. Not only was Baptist Health assisting with revitalization projects in Liberty City, but they also had 13 other concurrent service projects going on from Homestead to Broward.
“At Baptist Health, we believe that every man, woman and child should have a place to call home – regardless of their race or background or economic standing,” said Ricardo Forbes, chief diversity officer for Baptist Health South Florida. “Baptist Health always has and will remain com-mitted to providing hospitality to every nationality.”
Baptist Health has been active with Habitat for Humanity for over 20 years, having sponsored a total of 24 homes. This year, the organization sponsored three homes. Baptist Health has also had 227 employees volunteer for a total of 1,362 hours, resulting in the completion of one home and the support of several others.
Baptist Health South Florida is a faith-based organization that believes caring is sharing.
The organization’s loving team of medical professionals speaks your language, hear what you say, and are moved by it. Focused on driving diversity in the workforce, workplace and marketplace, Baptist Health has created a world where each person and entity it meets understands its commitment to inclusion. As one of America’s pre-eminent healthcare institutions, Baptist Health was tapped by Fortune 500 magazine in recent years, as The Best Place for Diversity. Composed of seven hospitals and more than a score of outpatient facilities, Baptist Health is visited by more than a million patients annually.
For more information, visit www.baptisthealth.net.
