Calumet students donate to MGH’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
By Marqui Mapp
Monday, June 02, 2008 at 8:41 p.m.
Read more: Local
MARQUETTE -- More and more babies are being born prematurely in the U.S. each year…increasing over 30 percent since the early 1980s according to a recent study.
The Student Council from Calumet Middle School hoped to give these newborns a fighting chance and donated $600 to Marquette General Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit on Monday. However, they didn’t realize exactly how much care these infants actually needed.
"The babies are just so small, and they had to go through a lot of work. I think it's very sad. So I'm actually really glad we gave the money to them,” said Student Council Vice President Valerie Clevenger.
The students raised the funds throughout the school year as a part of their community service.
"We have dances every month and that gives us money, and we work at concession stands for basketball tournaments, and we have candy grams for the holidays,” said Student Council President Melissa Meneguzzo.
The staff at NICU couldn't have been more grateful as the unit helps up to 300 babies a year from all over the Upper Peninsula, each one with their own special needs.
“Sometimes it can be an infection, or maybe they have trouble learning how to eat or stabilizing their blood sugar. We have to make sure that, especially with a premature baby, we try to mimic their environment that they would still have if they were still inside their mom. So all of this equipment is very expensive and very individualized,” said Cindy Ampe, the Clinical Director for NICU.
As a thank you to the students’ contribution, the hospital is giving them a gold leaf plaque that will be added to the unit’s Giving Tree wall.
