Be Excellent to Each Other: Our Customers, Our Employees, Our Families, Our Communities, Ourselves
Since our inception in 2003, Advantage RN has experienced tremendous growth despite keen competition and an industry of marginal expansion. We’ve made it through Joint Commission certification and recertification, the juggling that comes with acquisitions and restructuring, and the challenges of our “new” economy. Despite the uphill battles and monumental moments, we’ve kept our eye on our  Mission, and giving back to our community will continue to be a critical component.
Advantage RN has made donations to the organizations listed below. To learn more, please click one of the logos or scroll down.
 
   
 
 
 
  
Make A Wish - Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana Chapter
 Meet our Make-A-Wish recipient, Kyle, a 15 year old from West Chester, OH. The summer before Kyle’s freshman year in high school, he received news that he had Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph nodes. Advantage RN worked with the local Make A Wish team and helped Kyle fulfill his wish to go to England to watch a Chelsea Football Club match on their home field in London.
Kyle took his trip in November and had a blast watching his team and learning about the English culture. He and his parents visited Advantage RN in December to share his experiences with all of us. What an inspiration he is! Stay healthy, Kyle!
Warrior Dash
 Josh W, RN, an Advantage RN ER nurse for six years, doesn't mind getting dirty. In fact, he got very dirty last month when he and 24 of his friends participated in the Warrior Dash in Carrollton, OH. The Warrior Dash is a mud-crawling, fire-leaping, extreme 5k run where participants conquer extreme obstacles, push their limits and celebrate their participation; Warrior Dashes are held all over the country. There were 10,000 people at this event and Josh finished 81st overall! Josh used this as a fundraising opportunity to support his good friend, a Desert Storm veteran, who is living with a bone cancer diagnosis. Advantage RN was one of Josh's sponsors. To learn more about the Warrior Dash, please visit their website www.warriordash.com.
Spina Bifida Association of Cincinnati
 Our Advantage RN family has been touched by Spina Bifida. Our donation to Cincinnati's Spina Bifida Association will go to their annual “Walk & Roll” fundraiser which ensures the continuation of services such as sending a balloon to a child who is admitted to the hospital, providing gift certificates to the hospitals’ cafeterias so parents can eat meals with their child in the hospital room, or getting answers from experienced parents at the Young Family Support group, or allowing the kids to participate in therapeutic recreation programs to meet their unique physical needs. To learn more about the organization, please check out their website at
www.sbacincy.org.
CARE
 Founded in 1945, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty and providing emergency aid during times of crisis such as the current drought and food crisis in Somalia. The United Nations expects the famine to spread across all regions of the Horn of Africa within two months. Currently in Somalia there are more than 3.7 million people – greater than half the entire population – in desperate need of humanitarian assistance. CARE is currently the lead agency in the Dadaab refugee camps which has a population of nearly 400,000 refugees -- most of them Somalis. CARE is on the ground providing these new refugees with basic services, especially food, water and sanitation as well as emergency supplies such as household kits and supplies. About 80% of the new arrivals in Dadaab are women and children. A second 2011 Advantage RN donation was made and that funding will go directly to train nurses in providing obstetric care for expectant mothers.
To learn more, visit www.care.org.
Wounded Warrior Project
 Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) exists to honor and empower wounded warriors who incurred service-connected injuries on or after September 11, 2001. The tragic events of this fateful day in September are often the reason warriors say they felt a sense of duty to volunteer for the military. These individuals chose to defend our country and that is why WWP honors them. With advancements in battlefield medicine and body armor there are more service members surviving severe wounds or injuries than ever before. For every US soldier killed in World Wars I and II, there were 1.7 soldiers wounded. In Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, there are seven soldiers wounded for every soldier killed – bringing the total injured count from these two conflicts to almost 42,000. WWP is the hand that encourages warriors as they adjust to their new normal and achieve new triumphs. To learn more, visit www.woundedwarriorproject.org.
Navy Seal Foundation
 The Navy SEAL Foundation's mission is to provide immediate and ongoing support and assistance to the Naval Special Warfare community and their families. As the duration and frequency of training and operational deployments continue, and the stress on the families and operators grows, this important community requires support today more than ever. Advantage RN’s recent contribution will go to support the families of the fallen Navy SEALs in Afghanistan on 8/5/11.
The loss of the U.S. Navy SEALs in Afghanistan is the kind of news the Navy SEAL Foundation fears—but prepares for through our mission. When a member of the community falls, the Foundation helps the families with memorial services and defrays the financial costs of travel for immediate family members who live far away. These warriors were at the tip of the spear in the global war on terror, exhibiting extraordinary skill, courage, and commitment. It’s paramount for the Foundation to support their families here at home. When a warrior falls, the Foundation is prepared to take the burden of cost away from the families and help them with planning. The families will have enough to concern themselves with during this time. Our deepest sympathy is extended to the families of those who lost loved ones in this devastating tragedy. Please know we hold you close in our thoughts—and are here to help you in the challenging times ahead.
-Vice Adm. Albert "Bert" Calland, III
USN, Chairman
Navy SEAL Foundation
To learn more, visit www.navysealfoundation.org.
Community Foundation of West Chester/Libery County
 The Community Foundation of West Chester/Liberty County’s mission is to encourage, support and facilitate philanthropy and improve the quality of life for those in the West Chester and Liberty County area. Locally supported organizations benefiting from this foundation include the Boys and Girls Club of Butler County, Read Out Lakota, Butler County School Supply Coalition, Cancer Family Care, Heroes’ Fund, and Butler Country Fire Department. College Scholarship monies are awarded to local high school graduates as well. For more information, please visit
www.wclfoundation.com.
Save the Childern
 Relief efforts for the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami continue to be hampered by the ongoing nuclear crisis, supply shortages and frigid temperatures. An estimated 380,000 people – including 100,000 children have been evacuated from their homes. More than 465 roads, 43 bridges and seven railways have been washed away.
Save the Children has opened the first child-friendly protective environments in the affected areas of Japan where children can gather to play and share their
experiences under the supervision of trained, caring adults. Advantage RN has made a donation to this organization which reports 90% of all funding going to the causes they support. To learn more about the organization, please visit
www.savethechildren.org
The TWIG Auxiliary of Dayton Children's Hospital
 Terrific Women in Giving – better known as TWIGs – is the woman’s auxiliary of Children's Hospital in Dayton OH. Through its fundraising and volunteer projects, TWIGS plays an important role in helping the hospital provide quality care for children throughout the region. TWIGs’ major fundraiser is its annual Sugarplum Festival of Trees gala. The event features unique gift items – each handcrafted by TWIGs members – and always includes an assortment of beautifully decorated Christmas trees. In 2010, Advantage RN purchased and donated a tree (shown below) to grace the lobby of the hospital. Decorated with extra large pieces of “candy,” it was the perfect festive accessory for the lobby this holiday season. Children visiting the hospital -- including Autumn, pictured below -- loved it!
  
Angelman Syndrome (AS)
 AS is neuro-genetic disorder that occurs in 1 in 15,000 live births. Its characteristics often include developmental delay, lack of speech, and seizures as well as walking and balance disorders. Excessive laugher is another characteristic and one that separates AS from cerebral palsy and autism. The Angelman Syndrome Foundation is dedicated to raising money to fund clinical research that will advance the knowledge, cause, treatment and eventual cure of AS. Our Advantage RN family has been touched by AS and hopes its contributions to the AS Foundation will bring additional awareness and funding. To learn more about Angelman Syndrome and its fundraising Walk-A-Thons that take place in many cities across the country, check out
www.angelman.org.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
 AAP uses its Children’s Relief Fund to respond to disasters that affect children at home in the U.S. -- such as Hurricanes Katrina and Ike -- and worldwide -- such as the recent earthquake in Haiti.
The devastation from the January, 2010 earthquake in Haiti was severe. Thousands of homes and buildings – including hospitals –collapsed, and the total number of deaths turned out to be approximately 230,000. Although cleanup is moving along now, it’s slow and is sure to continue for many months.
AAP worked with the Haiti Pediatrics Society, National Association of Children’s Hospitals and the US Department of Health and Human Resources to provide medical volunteers and support to help address the primary healthcare needs of the citizens – and in particular the children -- in this devastated country. Along with its monetary contribution, Advantage RN sends its sincere hopes and prayers that total relief will eventually be a reality for all Haitian children and their families. To learn more about how the American Academy of Pediatrics comes to the aid of pediatricians and children worldwide, please go to www.aap.org.
Susan G. Komen Foundation
 Almost everyone has been touched by Breast Cancer. It might be a friend, a family member, or even a co-worker who has been diagnosed with the disease, but its effect has been felt universally. The Susan G. Komen Foundation is the largest breast cancer charity in the world; its research and fundraising efforts have had a dramatic impact on the fight against the disease. Millions of women turn to the Foundation’s resources to augment their own knowledge of breast cancer and their treatment options.
Millions more women have participated in the Foundation’s Race for the Cure, the largest series of 5k runs and fitness walks in the world which started in 1967. The Race for the Cure not only raises significant funds and awareness for the fight against the disease, it also celebrates breast cancer survivorship and honors those who have lost their battle against the disease.
Many Advantage RN employees have supported the Foundation by walking in Race for the Cure events or participating in the Foundation’s other fitness event – the 3-Day for the Cure walk -- a 60-mile fundraising walk. This year, Advantage RN has made its own additional donation to this worthy Foundation. To learn more, please go to www.komen.org.
The Fistula Foundation
 The (World Health Organization) WHO calls Fistula "the single most dramatic aftermath of neglected childbirth". Fistula develops when the blood supply to the tissues of critical organs is cut off during prolonged obstructed labor. Women who develop fistula lose their bodily functions and are often abandoned by their husbands, rejected by their communities, and forced to live an isolated existence as they suffer profound psychological trauma.
Eradicated in western countries at the end of the 19th century when cesarean section became widely available, obstetric fistula continues to plague women throughout the developing world. It is estimated that there are 100,000 new fistula cases each year, but the international capacity to treat fistula remains at only 6,500 per year. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates the world's population of fistula sufferers at more than two million. To learn more, please go to www.fistulafoundation.org.
Make-A-Wish Foundation of Ohio
 If you could make a wish…what would it be?
That is the exact question the Make-A-Wish Foundation asks children with life threatening medical conditions. The Foundation not only asks the question, but delivers the magic: since its 1984 beginnings, the Ohio Foundation has granted over 6300 wishes to children all over Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.
Advantage RN’s donation supported Make-A-Wish’s annual Walk-A-Thon and more importantly paid for Tracey’s wish – a trip to Disney World. Five-year-old Tracey was three when he was diagnosed with Sickle Cell disease. At the age of four he endured a bone marrow transplant (compliments of his brother – a perfect match) to help battle the disease. The energetic, happy little boy got a brief reprieve from hospitals and doctor visits during his weeklong Disney World adventure with his family. Tracey is now in remission.
Tracey was this year’s honorary Wish Child at the Walk-A-Thon event that took place in Columbus on August 16, 2008. A good time was had by all participants who enjoyed the food, entertainment and the casual walk with Tracey and other Make-A-Wish donors and participants. All of us at Advantage RN wish Tracey and his family a lifetime of good fortune and health.
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| Matt Price (pictured on the right) welcomed Tracey (pictured second from right) and
his brother
LaShaun,
mother Denise,
his aunt and
baby
cousin, and Make-A-Wish
Executive Director Tim McCarthy to a picnic lunch at Advantage RN’s headquarters in August. |
Tracey (in the green shirt) and his family, along with Matt Price and some local Columbus newscasters, get ready to begin the Walk-A-Thon with 600
participants. |
Culture Works of Dayton
 Culture Works is the united arts fund and arts service agency for the Greater Dayton, Ohio region. The organization provides the single largest source of public funding for the arts. Creating and maintaining a vibrant and attractive community filled with quality arts brings measurable and immeasurable value to the community.
Culture Works is proud to be the largest provider of general operating support for the many non-profit arts organizations operating in Greater Dayton. The organization partners with corporations, foundations and individuals to secure a flourishing, creative environment for area residents of all ages and backgrounds.
From its nationally and internationally renowned DCDC Contemporary Dance Company to its Philharmonic Orchestra, Muse Machine (a premier arts education program benefiting tens-of-thousands of young people each year) and K12 Gallery for Young Artists to the dozens of other arts-related organizations, Culture Works of Dayton enriches the lives of many both in this region and beyond.
President and CEO of Advantage RN Matt Price is a new Board member of the organization. "The local arts enhance the attractiveness of Dayton and their educational outreach programs provide inspiration to thousands of children," says Price. "Having grown up here I’ve seen the positive effect it has had on the community, and I’m happy to be a part of it."
To read Culture Works' article on Advantage RN, click here.
Aqua Viva Children's Home
 Nearly 75% of Guatemala’s 12 million residents live in poverty. Many Guatemalan children never attend school because they must work to help support their families – usually on the streets, in the fields, or in factories. No social programs exist to rescue at-risk children or to support poor families.
Two Advantage RN employees traveled to Guatemala in the summer of 2008 to volunteer to work at Agua Viva Children’s Home, located in the mountains above Guatemala City. The two were part of a group of 28 who worked at the school that offers a safe haven for about 80 children from the ages of 1.5 – 18. The group helped with some construction projects on site as well as with other activities needed by the school. They also spent plenty of time with the children.
The group was so inspired by the children and the way each child embraced life and their newest visitors -- especially given their circumstances. They approached their school work and extracurricular activities with open and enthusiastic hearts.
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| Little Sophie, born in Guatemala,
is now home in America with her new Advantage RN family. |
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| In Guatemala we learned that those with so little have the ability to give us so much. |
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