Flower & Fruit Mission pledges $225,000 for Mother/Baby Unit at Saratoga Hospital
The Flower & Fruit Mission of Saratoga Hospital will donate $225,000 to buy new labor and delivery beds to enhance the childbirth experience at the Hospital’s Mother/Baby Unit.
Flower & Fruit Mission President Stephanie Collins announced the gift Dec. 3 at the annual Snow Ball, the organization’s signature holiday party. This year’s event netted $30,000 and honored recently retired Saratoga Hospital President and CEO Angelo Calbone for his 16 years of extraordinary service to the Hospital and the community.
The new beds will put the finishing touches on a $2.7 million unit renovation, which created a modern, comfortable birthing environment rooted in best practices for maternity care. The $225,000 is in addition to a previous Flower & Fruit Mission gift of $250,000 for the renovation.
“The Flower & Fruit Mission has helped shape women’s health care in Saratoga County for more than a century,” said Sarah Bunzey, RN, director of Women’s Health Services at Saratoga Hospital. “Every mother who delivers at Saratoga Hospital—and every baby born here—benefits from the Mission’s foresight and extraordinary generosity.”
The Flower & Fruit Mission was founded in 1904 to support maternity care at Saratoga Hospital. At first, the Mission provided flowers and fruit for new mothers and blankets, caps, and clothing for infants born at the Hospital. More recently, the organization has focused primarily on fundraising and has donated more than $1.5 million for women’s health-related services. Examples include upgrades to the Mother/Baby Unit, scholarships for aspiring health care providers, support for continuing nursing education, and resources for families of newborns.
“We take great pride in our longstanding commitment to Saratoga Hospital and the advances the Flower & Fruit Mission has helped bring to our community,” Collins said. “It’s especially rewarding to know that we’ve had—and will continue to have—a positive impact on generations of women and children in the Saratoga region. None of this would be possible without the generosity of our sponsors and those who attend our events.”
Major sponsors of this year’s Snow Ball include the Adirondack Trust Company and Stewart’s Shops/the Dake family.