VCU news

By Carrie Carroll

Rodney the Ram knows how to brighten a child’s day.

Arriving via Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center’s Life Evac Virginia helicopter, Rodney visited the pediatric unit and pediatric emergency room at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU on Wednesday to spread holiday cheer and bring smiles to the faces of patients, parents and staff.

A holiday party, complete with craft making, cookie decorating and music, was held for the pediatric patients and their families who wanted the opportunity to meet and have their picture taken with the mascot. The pictures were printed, framed and given to the children as a souvenir of their fun day.

As Rodney arrived, wide eyes and excited smiles met him at the door. He spent one-on-one time with each child – giving hugs and high-fives, “sampling” their cookies, playing, dancing and making them laugh.

No one was more excited about Rodney’s arrival than Jamie Damon, age 5, who was more impressed with his mode of transportation than his celebrity status.

“Guess what?! He came on a helicopter,” she told everyone in the room. Rodney shared cookies and hugs with Damon and gave an impromptu dance performance.

For the patients who could not attend the party, Rodney made bedside visits, dashing through the halls from room to room. His visit tied into the hospital’s 12 Days of Holiday Cheer campaign, which challenges the Richmond community to #SpreadCheer and help their cheer-o-meter reach 1,200 acts of cheer by Dec. 31 by answering the question on Facebook: How do you plan to #SpreadCheer this holiday season? Visit the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/chrichmond to share.

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