NORTH, SOUTH VOLLEYBALL RAISE $8,200 FOR UNION HOSPITAL’S NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT

Thursday, October 9th marked the last regular season home match for the Terre Haute South Braves Volleyball team. As well as honoring the team’s seniors that evening, Coach Steve Beeler and his team, along with Terre Haute North Patriots team captains and Coach Painter, took the opportunity to present a check for $8,200 to Union Hospital Foundation. The money raised was a result of their joint fundraising effort in an event structured around the annual cross-town rivalry on Friday, September 25th.

North and South battled it out at South High School in a match that the host team eventually claimed in four games. As they have in the past, players and coaches from both teams chose to amp up the significance of the match by adopting a local cause to benefit.

Because of some special ties, Union Hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) was chosen and the rivalry was dubbed “Volleyball for the Small”.  South Senior, Larina Coutinho’s father is a neonatologist in the NICU and her mother is an OB/GYN at Union Hospital. On many occasions she has heard from them about the struggles of the hospital’s tiniest patients and their families.  

Both volleyball teams sold yellow t-shirts in the weeks leading up to the match. Shirts were also sold at Union Hospital Timesavers. Proceeds from the shirt sales benefited the NICU and everyone who wore the shirt to the match received free admittance. The special project also received numerous cash donations to the NICU Family Assistance Fund from individuals and businesses as part of the Volleyball for the Small project. The match also served as a reunion for NICU “graduates” and their families, as they were honored between the second and third games. 

The funds raised from the match will stay local and will specifically benefit the NICU Family Assistance Fund. This fund was established to help aid the families who have preterm babies in the unit. “It’s primarily to keep the families and babies together,” said Larina. “There’s a lot of expenses to be considered.”  

Because Union Hospital serves such a large area, many of the families with a baby in the NICU have a considerable drive to make to see their child. The NICU staff encourages the families to be alongside their babies as much as possible, so oftentimes parents make long drives every day or incur the cost of frequent hotel stays.         

Dr. Russell Coutinho was pleased with the team’s desire to help the NICU patients and families he cares for on a day to day basis. “I want to sincerely thank both the Terre Haute South and Terre Haute North Volleyball team members and their coaches for the Volleyball for the Small project.” said Dr. Coutinho. “The compassion that these young ladies have shown through this project is heartwarming. We also need to thank all of the corporate donors and especially the families that attended the match that have NICU graduate babies. The generosity of all of these people will make a very positive impact on future families that have babies in Union Hospital's NICU”.      

When asked what the Vollleyball for the Small project meant to her, Terre Haute North student-athlete Sara Baugh said the following, “Having two teams come together to play for such a good cause makes plying volleyball even more fun”. 

The mission of the Union Hospital Foundation is to support advances in medical care that benefit the patients served by Union Hospital and initiatives that promote the health and wellness for those residents who live in the Wabash Valley.  The Foundation fulfills this mission by raising charitable gifts and grants, providing effective stewardship for gifts received and by awarding grants to Union Hospital and to select other organizations through which improvements in medical care and community health are realized. The Union Hospital Foundation receives charitable support from individuals, corporations, foundations and organizations who share the Foundation’s vision for a healthy, vital community.