How it started…
For 5 days in September of 2002, the Baptist Hospital East Pediatric Unit was home for 2-year-old Andie McQuillen. The experience left a lasting impression on her family. A visit from Andie’s dad sparked an idea that is helping make other children’s stay in the hospital a little more pleasant. 
“My husband brought in a balloon for Andie to cheer her up. Her face lit up and it really made her happy. It was the first time she had smiled in days. That smile truly made an impression on me,” Gina said.
A couple of months later and encouraged by her church to reach out into the community, Gina and her friend, Lisa Lee, went out and sought donations of balloons to provide Mylar “get well” balloons to children on the pediatric unit. “One of the nurses said, ‘Look what the balloon angels brought us’ and that’s the name we chose,” Gina said.
Today, Balloon Angels is a fully qualified 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that currently has 30 active volunteers that deliver balloons weekly to children in Louisville area hospitals, at no charge to patients or the hospitals. |
|
|
