Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital Employees Earn Hospital Hero Award

Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital Junior Wheelchair Sports Camp

René Van Hoorn, Donna Glenn and Kathy Schmitt of Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital (CRH) were recently honored with a Hospital Hero Award for their leadership of the Junior Wheelchair Sports Camp program.

Given by the National Health Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the health of the underserved, the annual Hospital Hero Awards honor healthcare professionals who go above and beyond the normal call of duty and help to create amazing experiences for patients.

Ms. Van Hoorn, Ms. Glenn and Ms. Schmitt work together to organize the remarkable CRH Junior Wheelchair Sports Camp (JWSC). Led by Ms. Van Hoorn, the program’s director, the annual summer event is a week-long camp for youth ages 6 to 19 years old who use wheelchairs. The camp is funded largely by Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation and is offered at no cost to participants.

Camp instructors, many who are also in wheelchairs, encourage and inspire campers to dream big, to challenge themselves and to see possibilities. The goal of the camp is to improve the quality of life for individuals with physical challenges and to help them discover the joy in recreational activity. Unique experiences at the JWSC include swimming, scuba, kayaking, basketball, tennis, volleyball and more.

JWSC began in 1985 and is the only camp of its kind on the Central Coast. For the past seven years, this dedicated CRH team has attended to every detail to ensure positive experiences for campers. They recruit volunteers, instructors and counselors. The JWSC also arranges travel and accommodations for campers, and holds an awards ceremony at the end of camp each year.

We congratulate René Van Hoorn, Donna Glenn and Kathy Schmidtt for the well-deserved 2015 Hospital Hero Award.