GREENVILLE, Ohio — As many families celebrated at home, Spirit EMS crews spent December delivering donated gifts and companionship to patients and residents in area hospitals and nursing homes, the agency said.
Employees and community members collected more than 200 stuffed animals, which crews distributed across western Ohio and eastern Indiana to bring holiday cheer to people unable to be with loved ones.
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“This effort has grown into a cherished annual tradition,” Spirit EMS President and CEO Brian K. Hathaway said. “It’s embraced by our employees, who look forward to it each year. Many of them say the joy on patients’ faces is something they never forget, making this one of the most meaningful parts of their holiday season.”
Hathaway said the effort reflects Spirit EMS’s mission and the team’s commitment to bringing comfort and hope to patients and residents who need it most during the holidays.
Spirit EMS also collected canned and nonperishable food for local pantries and joined Operation Santa’s Sleigh on Dec. 23, contributing two ambulances to the Parade of Lights benefiting Dayton Children’s Medical Center.
Hathaway has also kept a 25-year Christmas Eve tradition as a Darke County Sheriff’s Office dispatcher, issuing a playful “be on the lookout” about Santa’s sleigh that scanner listeners and first responders tune in for at 8 p.m. and midnight.
