--Singer Michael Bublè lends a hand on Dec. 2 on Instagram by asking the public for support—
--Nurses from SMYS’s 640,000-strong Facebook community ask for food, diapers and basic toiletries above toys, illustrating the dire situation they find themselves in this holiday season--
ENCINO, Calif., Dec. 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
| WHAT: | “Operation: Reindeer Games” is a national annual holiday fundraiser that brings holiday gifts – and this year even the basics like food, diapers and toiletries– to nurses and their families in need. Now in its sixth year, the fundraiser is a partnership between Show Me Your Stethoscope (SMYS) Foundation, HOLLIBLU and several other organizations. |
| This year’s requests from nurses for help through the “Operation: Reindeer Games” fundraiser are startling. Instead of toys, the fundraiser is overwhelmed with requests for food, diapers, toiletries, sheets and other basic necessities, further highlighting the significant toll the COVID-19 pandemic is having on the nursing community nationwide. This year the requests for help have been so overwhelming that the Foundation is afraid they will have to turn people away for the very first time. “Operation: Reindeer Games” provides a wonderful opportunity to give back to frontline workers who have given so much during 2020. | |
| WHEN: | Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020 |
| Singer Michael Bublè will lend a hand on Dec. 2 on Instagram to ask his millions of followers and the public for help raising enough money to meet as many of these thousands of requests as possible. Mr. Bublè is a personal friend of HOLLIBLU CEO Cara Lunsford. He is a huge supporter of the medical community and has a long history of donating time and money to several hospitals and organizations. He and his family are extremely grateful to the nurses who have cared for their loved ones and touched their lives over the years. | |
| The “Operation: Reindeer Games” fundraiser will accept financial contributions up until mid-Dec. | |
| WHERE: | Michael Bublè’s Instagram post via SMYS Instagram-- https://www.instagram.com/p/CIRbYTEhjiC/ |
| Donation site – www.smysofficial.org/donate | |
| INTERVIEW | |
| OPP’s: | Cara Lunsford, RN – founder and CEO of HOLLIBLU |
| Janie Harvey Garner, RN – founder of Show Me Your Stethoscope (SMYS) Foundation | |
| Nursing Families – to interview a local nurse who has applied for holiday assistance, please contact us via the Press Contacts section of this Media Alert below. | |
| WHY: | Applications for help no longer ask for toys and gifts this holiday season, but basic living necessities. Brought on by 2020’s COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters, nurses are experiencing deaths, widespread unemployment and/or pay cuts, food insecurity, homelessness and dozens of other tragedies that can be lessened by public donations. |
| MORE ON | |
| HOLLIBLU: | HOLLIBLU is an exclusive community and app designed for nurses and created by nurses. It helps nurses connect, organize their professional life, restore their passion for nursing, and empower themselves to thrive. HOLLIBLU was founded by Cara Lunsford, RN based on a patient story that had a huge impact on her. HOLLIBLU believes that every nurse has a story that stays with them throughout their life, a special moment with a patient or their family member. HOLLIBLU comes from the Holly Blue butterfly and is a sign of transformation, and a symbol of acceptance, honor and great energy. www.holliblu.com |
| MORE ON | |
| SMYS: | Show Me Your Stethoscope (SMYS) Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that has been helping nurses for the past six years and has grown to a Facebook community of more than 640,000 members. From helping nurses get scholarships to helping feed their families during the holidays, SMYS continues to show up for nurses in ways that no other organization has ever done. The community is continuously engaged and working tirelessly to promote safe staffing ratios along with other policy changes that will improve work conditions and patient safety. www.smysofficial.org and www.facebook.com/showmeyourstethoscopepage/ |
| PRESS | |
| CONTACTS: | Stacey Doss |
| SDDPR for HOLLIBLU | |
| stacey@sddpr.com | |
| 949-285-2362 |