UCSF Children's Hospital Kicks Off Tree Lighting Fundraiser

UCSF Children's Hospital will kick off the 19th Annual Macy's Tree Lighting fundraising campaign with a celebration today (Oct. 7). The annual kickoff event, to run from 11:30 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, Oct. 7, features honorary chair Barry Bonds, former San Francisco Giants outfielder. The event will be held in Cole Hall, 513 Parnassus Ave. on the Parnassus campus, and will include refreshments and entertainment. The campus community is invited to sponsor a light, make a $5 donation and receive a gourmet chocolate bar or star pin. Please note that employee donations are not tax-deductible. Employees who make a contribution will be able to receive tickets for a monthly raffle. Drawing dates and prizes are: • Oct. 7 – $1,000 Macy's gift card • Nov. 7 – Mini-vacation at the Campton Place Hotel in San Francisco • Dec. 5 – 42-inch flat screen LCD TV Employees throughout the medical center are accepting donations. Donations can be made in the Parnassus hospital in the gift shop (star pins only) on the first floor and in the Moffitt Cafe(chocolate only) on the second floor. Donations also can be made online at www.ucsfhealth.org/tree, but online donations aren’t eligible for the raffle, chocolate or pin. Macy' partners with UCSF each year to raise funds for the UCSF Children's Hospital palliative care program – Compass Care – which supports families whose children have life-threatening illnesses. Over the last five years, nearly $700,000 has been raised by selling lights to adorn Macy’s holiday tree. This year's tree lighting ceremony will be held in San Francisco's Union Square on the day after Thanksgiving, Friday, Nov. 28, at 6 p.m. The tree will remain lit through Jan. 1, 2009.