Employees at Vidant Beaufort Hospital came together and held an inter-department bicycle drive contest, facilitating a donation of over 100 bikes to Toys for Tots.

Lou Montana-Rhodes, vice president of Patient Care Services at Vidant Beaufort, challenged the hospital’s nursing and respiratory therapy departments to see who could bring in the most bikes, yielding an amazing response, said Pam Shadle, manager of marketing, public relations and development. The hospital’s clinical departments recruited support departments to join their teams, as well.

“Our employees really stepped up to the challenge, and over 100 bicycles have been donated, as well as helmets,” Shadle said. “All of the bicycles were brought to the hospital lobby (Thursday) to announce the winners. Vidant Beaufort Hospital has been a part of Toys for Tots for many years, but this year our employees have really gone above and beyond and given to support Toys for Tots and children in our community.”

Shadle said a group of employees delivered the bicycles along with the helmets and other toys that were collected to St. Peters last Friday.

Montana-Rhodes applauded the hospital staff for their generosity and for not only helping brighten the Christmas season for over 100 Beaufort County children, but also giving them a means to exercise.

“The staff at Vidant Beaufort Hospital came together for a common good and accomplished something extraordinary,” Montana-Rhodes said. “It was a display of what teamwork and a giving spirit can accomplish. What if just one or two of those bikes helped a child become more physically active and prevented them from developing diabetes or gave them an opportunity they would not normally have? It is worth every minute and dollar we all spent.”