Forrest General Nurses Help MNA District 7 Provide Christmas for ARC Angels
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – (December 16, 2024) The truck and trailer at the front entrance of Forrest General Hospital last week served as a substitute for Santa’s reindeer and sleigh. The FGH nurses who helped fill the sleigh with brightly-wrapped gifts were stand-in elves who are members of District 7 of the Mississippi Nurses Association (MNA).
The state is divided into 18 district nursing associations. District 7 encompasses Marion, Lamar, Forrest, Perry, Jefferson Davis, and Covington counties and has 160 members; approximately 51 of them are FGH employees. Of the six hospitals in the district, four are Forrest Health facilities – Forrest General (Hattiesburg), Perry County (Richton), Marion General (Columbia), and Jefferson Davis Community (Prentiss).
The gifts will be given to the 100 ARC Angels sponsored by District 7 members, according to Melanie Nunnally, FGH’s director of Trauma Services, who is serving a four-year term as the district’s president. “Forrest General nurses make up a large part of the district, as well as nurses from our regional hospitals in the district,” said Nunnally. There are also members from local universities and clinics. “This project is solely a project of District 7, which has been sponsoring ARC Angels for the last three years.”
The ARC of MS is a not-for-profit organization offering support to those in need related to intellectual, mental health, and developmental disabilities. “Many of these ARC Angels have no one – no family other than the ARC,” said Matt Nalker, state ARC director, aka Santa. “We are the supported decision makers, guardians for 261 individuals with intellectual disabilities across the state who have no one else in their life.
“These gifts, collected by Forrest General nurses and others in District 7, will be distributed to those individuals, some of whom live in group homes, large institutions like state hospitals/mental health facilities, private facilities, or with service providers from the top of the state to the bottom.” Some of the gifts will remain with ARC Angels in the Greater Hattiesburg area.
Nalker noted that FGH and District 7 members far exceeded expectations. “Not only did they get the socks and T-shirts, but I guarantee there are personalized items, and the most beautiful, wonderful, thoughtful giving spirit of things you can get. I am most impressed with what these nurses did. Not only did they call and ask for 50 names, they called back a day later and asked for 50 more. We are overwhelmed by the support of District 7 members. It would have been difficult to fund these gifts without their help. We would have had to take resources otherwise allocated to fill these requests to the minimal level. District 7’s support was at the maximum level.”
“These ARC Angels are people of all ages,” said Nunnally. “They range anywhere from 20 years old to 90. Without these donations, they may not have gifts to open this Christmas.”
Last year, District 7 sponsored about 60 patients, which was about half the number on the master list. This year they upped their game and went all out, adopting 100 clients. Each year, Nunnally is given a list of names and a wish list for each person. As she is contacted by district members interested in a sponsorship, she sends out a name or names to that person. “A lot of our nurses sponsor more than one patient,” Nunnally said. “Our nurses want these patients to have exactly what they want, even if that means five or six gifts per person.”
FGH Education Specialist, Linda Holmes, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, said her purchases have included a variety of items, depending on personal requests, but have ranged from the usual T-shirts, socks, gloves and hat, to jackets, shoes, games, specific sports team items, snack cakes, candy, shampoo, body wash, and lotion.
“Coming together as a profession to help support those in need is a cornerstone of nursing,” said Holmes. “Participating in these community service projects helps us give back to those in need. These recipients deserve to experience a Merry Christmas, and we are grateful to be able to help provide it for them.”
According to Nalker, the reindeer will gear up and deliver the gifts to ARC Angels about two weeks before Christmas.
Nunnally said she is very proud of FGH staff, as well as all nurses across District 7, from universities, local clinics, and regional hospitals. “They are setting a really high standard, and they truly enjoy doing this every year. These gifts will bring a lot of smiles to a lot of faces Christmas morning,” she said.
While district members upped their game this year doubling the number of ARC Angels they sponsored last year, the sky is the limit for next year. “We are always pushing for new members,” said Nunnally. “New members means more people, more opportunities, and the more we can do to help.”
While participating in such community service events as this, Nunnally said the organization holds a lot of educational opportunities for area nurses who have the opportunity to meet and network with others in the same field.
Nalker left a rye grass thank you on the front lawn of Forrest General near the helipad. “You should be able to see it in a couple of weeks when the good grass dies,” he said. It’s believed a big heart will be sprouting soon.
ABOUT FORREST HEALTH
Forrest Health is a system of healthcare organizations formed to increase access to quality health care in south Mississippi. Forrest General Hospital is its flagship hospital. In addition to Forrest General, Forrest Health hospitals include: Highland Community Hospital, Picayune; Jefferson Davis Community Hospital & Extended Care Facility, Prentiss; Marion General Hospital, Columbia; Pearl River County Hospital & Nursing Home, Poplarville; Perry County General Hospital, Richton; and Walthall General Hospital, Tylertown. Forrest Health is also home to The Orthopedic Institute and Institute of Neuroscience, both in Hattiesburg, as well as a variety of healthcare clinics throughout its 19-county coverage area.
