UK HealthCare

Promoting Lexus for the Little Ones Has Greater Meaning for Former KCH Patient's Mom

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LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 3, 2014) — As the last point of contact in the process of purchasing a car at the Lexus Store of Lexington, business manager Tonja King works with customers on financing options.

Before all the paperwork is complete, King offers customers the chance to drive away with another brand new car through Lexus for the Little Ones, a car raffle sponsored by her employer that raises funds for Kentucky Children's Hospital (KCH). For King, a mother whose 1-year-old daughter underwent surgery at KCH in 2006, selling the raffle tickets is a way of giving back to the nurses, doctors and staff who treated her daughter with care and compassion during a stressful time.

In 2005, King's daughter Sydney was born with a lesion the size of a quarter on the back of her head. The lesion was an accumulation of skin cells and glands that had formed while Sydney was developing in the womb. King's Lexington pediatrician recommended pediatric surgeon Dr. Henry Vasconez at KCH perform a surgery to remove the lesion, which would reduce the risk of cancer and correct a cosmetic problem that prohibited hair growth in the area.

At the age of 1, Sydney was admitted to KCH for the surgery. King recalls the nurses keeping Sydney distracted from the surgery by pushing her around in a little racecar.

"She spent enough time with them that she thought they were the greatest and funniest things ever," King said of the KCH nursing staff. 

King recalls her daughter, who was attached to her mother, trusting the nurses as the elevator doors closed on the way down to surgery. For King, it was an emotional time made easier on her family by a caring group of nurses. Now, at age 10, Sydney wears a ponytail in the spot of the lesion.

One raffle ticket holder will win a brand new 2014 Lexus ES 350 from The Lexus Store of Lexington. But every raffle ticket purchased for Lexus for the Little Ones contributes to improving facilities for children receiving treatment at KCH.

Owners of The Lexus Store of Lexington hope to raise more than $300,000 for hospital renovations in the next few years through Lexus for the Little Ones. In its inaugural year, the raffle raised $100,000 for KCH, which prompted The Lexus Store of Lexington to sponsor the new Ocean Pod, a section of aquatic-themed patient rooms that is currently under renovation.

“Giving back to the community has always been an important part of our business, and who better to support than KCH, the pediatric care center that takes care of Kentucky’s kids,” said Lexington businessman Rick Avare, co-owner of The Lexus Store of Lexington.

Raffle tickets are $100 each and can be purchased online at www.givetokch.org/lexus, in person by visiting the Lexus dealership on 1264 E. New Circle Road, or by contacting the KCH Development office at (859) 257-1179. There is no limit on the number of tickets purchased, and ticket holders do not have to be present to win.  The drawing will be held at 1 p.m. in Pavilion A of the UK Chandler Hospital on Nov. 20.

“Community partners like The Lexus Store of Lexington support KCH in its commitment to providing top-notch facilities for our patients,” Dr. Carmel Wallace, chair of the Department of Pediatrics at KCH, said. “Thanks to the fundraising success of Lexus for the Little Ones, we are in the process of upgrading patient rooms. We are grateful for The Lexus Store’s efforts, and to everyone who buys a tickets to benefit Kentucky’s kids.”

The KCH Development Office welcomes groups or individuals who would like to sell raffle tickets to family, friends and colleagues. If your group is interested, please contact Chloe Hurley at chloe.hurley@uky.edu.

MEDIA CONTACT: Elizabeth Adams, elizabethadams@uky.edu