The Latest News
FHN's Food Fight Against Cancer Tickets Available Now
May 31, 2024 –
The popular Food Fight Against Cancer: Cancer Bites fundraiser is back, with more choices, more fun, and more delicious food. Tickets are available now for the event, which supports the FHN Foundation's campaign to purchase a new linear accelerator for FHN's Radiation Oncology team.
Food Fight Against Cancer: Cancer Bites will be held from 5:30 - 9:30 p.m. Friday, June 14 at The Wagner House, 1 E. Spring Street in Freeport. Tickets are $35 each, or $65 for 2, $120 for 4, or $220 for a full table of 8. Call the FHN Foundation at 815-599-6441 or visit www.fhn.org/foodfight to learn more or purchase tickets.
Friends of the Leonard C. Ferguson Cancer Center at FHN Memorial Hospital in Freeport will offer guests two contests - the popular Food Fight, where local caterers and restaurants compete with their best appetizers and desserts, in addition to a new Unmask the Singer competition, where audience vote will determine which costumed characters keep singing.
Cancer Bites competitors include Aramark Food Service, FHN/Freeport; The Graybill Kitchen Company, Freeport; Hilldale Deli, Freeport; The Pit Stop, Stockton; The Traveling Chef, Freeport; and the evening's host, The Wagner House. Each competitor will offer some of their best hors d'oeuvres and desserts, and guests can sample and vote for their favorite. A cash bar will be available, as well as a selection of non-alcoholic beverages.
Audience members can also vote for their favorite costumed performer in the evening's Unmask the Singer competition, and try to guess each singer's identity before their unmasking.
This annual fundraiser has been made possible by event sponsors including HOH Water Technology Inc and BluePrint/Cyrs Wealth Advisors.
2024 FHN Foundation sponsors include:
Premier - Winter Construction, McPherson Law Offices
Platinum - Paramount Oncology Group Management
Gold - Cornerstone Credit Union, Loescher Heating and Air Conditioning, Lucas Group Financial Advisors and CPAs, and State Bank
Silver - Citizens State Bank, Highland Community College and HCC Foundation
Bronze - ELKAY, Pearson Plumbing and Heating, and Reed's Auto Repair.
For more information on the FHN Foundation and its work to support healthcare in the community, visit www.fhn.org/foundation or call 815-599-6900.
FHN, YMCA Present Free Family Fun at Healthy Kids Day
May 29, 2024 –
FHN and the Family YMCA of Northwest Illinois invite families to a free evening of fun activities to kick off a healthy summer.
The 32nd annual Healthy Kids Day event will run from 5:30 – 8 p.m. Friday, June 7 at the YMCA, 2998 W. Pearl City Road, Freeport. (Rain date is June 14.)
Families are welcome to explore 30+ activities and demonstrations, including obstacle courses, a bounce slide, a chance to explore an ambulance and meet Sheriff K-9s and more. All activities are free, and families who visit at least 15 stations to complete their ballot will have a chance to win a free bicycle!
Stations include activities and information from numerous FHN service lines and area organizations including Birth to Five, the Stephenson County Health Department, Ag in the Classroom, Angkan Kali martial arts, All Our Kids (AOK) Network, Pierce Tumbling, and the Freeport Public Library.
Kids can also meet Larry the llama, Hooligan the alpaca, Annabelle the miniature cow and their furry, feathered friends from P&C Little Rascals, LLC petting zoo in Chadwick and Hoo Haven.
For more information on the evening's events, visit www.fhn.org/healthfair.
FHN's Miles And Minutes is Back for 2024!
May 24, 2024 –
FHN's free popular summer exercise program, Miles and Minutes, is back for the summer of 2024!
One of the best ways to stay healthy is to keep moving, so FHN is inviting families across northwest Illinois to turn their warm-weather chores and fun into cash for their schools. Three prizes ($2,000, $1,000, and $500) will be awarded in three categories.
Summer exercises like golf, 5K runs, hikes, and walks, and even everyday physical activity like mowing the lawn and gardening can count as exercise - as well as summer workouts for student-athletes age 12 and over.
The program begins Monday, May 27, and runs through Sunday, August 25. Exercisers can join at any time during the summer. Activity is logged online only and there is no charge to participate. Anyone 12 years and older can participate, including student-athletes.
Registration and the competition rules, as well as information about how miles will be calculated to determine the winning school systems, is available at www.fhn.org/milesandminutes.
A calculator on the website will automatically convert minutes of almost any physical activity into miles. This will make it easy to follow the competition. Prize categories are:
• School system with the most average "miles" logged per participant
• School system with the most "miles" total
• Schools not eligible for above prizes will be entered into a "sweepstakes" drawing to win one of three cash prizes.
The program normalizes miles based on the number of students in each school system to help ensure that all schools have an equal chance to win, no matter their size or how many participants they enlist. Prize money will be awarded in the fall.
Participants from any zip code can support any school system, so family members in Lena, for example, can designate their miles to the River Ridge school system if they wish. Running totals will be displayed on the website and reported throughout the summer, and you can keep up with what's happening on Miles and Minutes Facebook page.
Winners (to be drawn at random) in the Sweepstakes category will receive a prize of $500, $400, or $300. Read more about the Sweepstakes category at the Miles and Minutes site.
School systems in FHN's service area include:
Aquin Schools
Chadwick-Milledgeville
Dakota School District
Durand School District
East Dubuque School District
Eastland School District
Forrestville Valley School District
Galena School District
Immanuel Lutheran School District
Lena-Winslow School District
Orangeville School District
Pearl City School District
Pecatonica School District
River Ridge School District
Scales Mound School District
Stockton School District
Tri-County Christian School
Warren School District
West Carroll School District
Freeport School District
(All Freeport Academy minutes will be combined with Freeport School District's score and will not be ranked individually in the Miles and Minutes challenge.)
For more information about Miles And Minutes, visit www.fhn.org/MilesAndMinutes or call FHN Marketing toll-free at 1-877-6000-FHN (1-877-600-0346) ext. 901.
Offering Summer Healthcare Camp
May 10, 2024 –
High school students interested in a career in healthcare are invited to apply for the week-long FHN Healthcare Camp 2024.
FHN Healthcare Camp, designed to give students ages 14 - 18 a first-hand look into the world of healthcare, will be held July 8 - 12 at FHN Memorial Hospital in Freeport.
Each day will include presentations, tours and activities, and at the end of camp, recipients will receive an FHN Healthcare Camp scrub top and a certificate of completion.
Limited space is available for this educational course, and registration is required by Thursday, June 20. Healthcare Camp enrollment is $25. (Financial assistance is available for eligible students: Please call 815-599-6707 for more information.)
For more information and to register, visit www.fhn.org/summercamp.
Freeport Memorial Alumni Nursing Scholarship Applications Open
May 10, 2024 –
Applications are now open for the 2024-2025 Freeport Memorial Alumni Nursing Scholarship.
The Freeport Memorial School of Nursing Alumni organization is offering $500 to $1,000 scholarships to help nursing students and nurses pursuing advanced education.
The organization's selection committee determines scholarship recipients based on educational and vocational goals, extracurricular and community activities including organizational, civic, or volunteer work and honors, awards or recognition applicants have received. Applicants must be accepted in a nursing program or pursuing advanced nursing education.
To apply, complete the application form at www.fhn.org/docs/2024-MemorialNursingScholarship-Application.pdf.
Deadline for applications is Saturday, June 1. Scholarship recipients will be announced at the annual banquet Saturday, June 8. Scholarship funds will be sent directly to the recipients' school in their name.
For more information on the scholarship, contact Marilyn Thoren at 815-789-4707.
Freeport Memorial Alumni Nursing scholarships are funded by donations, gifts, and memorials. If interested in contributing, please contact Cheryl Schofield at 815-541-9657.
'No Child Wet Behind' Giveaway for Parents in Need
May 8, 2024 –
The diaper is one of the many overlooked costs of poverty. Babies require up to 12 diapers a day, and toddlers can require as many as 8. State and national safety-net programs do not assist with diapers for families living in poverty.
The FHN Value Support Team is proud to present its 4th annual diaper (and other essentials) giveaway for parents in Stephenson and Jo Daviess counties - in a new location this year. The diapers and other essentials for the event have been donated by FHN and Aramark team members.
This year's No Child Wet Behind event will be held from 9:30-11 a.m. (or while supply lasts) Tuesday, May 14 in the lot of Countryside Sit 'N Sleep, 1024 N. Riverside Drive in Freeport.
Parents are invited to receive a free bundle of size-appropriate diapers (sizes 2 and up) for each child in their household at this free, drive-through event. Each household also will receive an essentials bundle containing baby wipes, wash, and lotion. All materials distributed through this drive will be marked and will not be returnable to any location.
Parents may also receive a free car seat check at the event, and speak with representatives from WIC, Illinois Family Connects, and Meridian Health Plan of Illinois. Information about and support for breastfeeding, postpartum depression, and other health concerns will be available at the event, as well.
FHN Celebrating National Prevention Week May 7 - 13
May 6, 2024 –
The Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is celebrating National Prevention Week (NPW) May 7-13, 2024. NPW was started by SAMHSA to celebrate and showcase the programs and initiatives that communities and organizations have implemented to raise awareness about substance use prevention and positive mental health.
Through the support of the Substance Use Prevention Services grant from the Illinois Department of Human Services, FHN partnered with the schools in Jo Daviess and Stephenson counties in 2018 to implement a multi-session youth prevention education program and an alcohol prevention communication campaign in the middle / junior high schools and a vaping prevention communication campaign at the senior high schools. Generation Rx, an opioid education program that addresses the opioid crisis and dangers of fentanyl and counterfeit drugs, is currently being offered to area schools and agencies serving youth in the 7th through 12th grade.
The outcomes of these programs are measured by the biennial Illinois Youth Survey (IYS). The overall results from the 2022 IYS survey for Jo Daviess County showed a 20 percent decrease in reported past 30-day use of alcohol in the 10th and 12th grades and a 10 percent decrease in vaping and marijuana use by the 10th and 12th grades compared to the 2018 survey. The results for Stephenson County for the same time period also showed a decrease in alcohol use in the 10th and 12th grade by 11 percent, vaping decreased an average of 8.5 percent, and marijuana use by 4.5 percent. All of the JDC schools and 7 of the Stephenson County schools are registered to take the 2024 survey, the results of which will be available in late summer.
The FHN Prevention Team would like recognize the following schools and organizations for their ongoing commitment and support for the substance misuse programs:
• East Dubuque Junior and Senior High Schools
• Galena Middle and Senior High Schools
• River Ridge Junior and Senior High Schools
• Scales Mound Junior and Senior High Schools
• Stockton Junior and Senior High Schools
• Warren Junior and Senior High Schools
• Aquin Catholic Junior Senior High School
• Dakota Junior Senior High School
• Freeport Middle and High Schools
• Freeport Alternative High School
• Carl Sandburg School
• Pearl City Junior and Senior High Schools
• Orangeville Junior and Senior High Schools
• Lena Middle and Senior High Schools
• Tri-County Christian School
• FHN Family Counseling Center and Outpatient sites
• Boys and Girls Club
• Banks-Bergagna Education Center
• Galena Key Club
• Galena Kiwanis
• Jo Daviess County Juvenile Justice Council
The tagline for National Prevention Week is "A Celebration of Possibility." FHN would like to thank the Jo Daviess County and Stephenson County communities for coming together to help provide a brighter future for all who live and visit our communities.
For more information about National Prevention Week, visit the website at www.samhsa.gov/prevention-week.
