North Harlem Elementary students present banner of support to health care heroes

Our AU Heroes received another gesture of support from the community on Dec. 15 in the form of a banner signed by nearly 100 students at North Harlem Elementary School.

The gesture was spearheaded by 9-year-old Bella Roby and her mother, Shannon, and presented to Augusta University Health workers in front of Children’s Hospital of Georgia.

“(Shannon) just had a burden to thank the health care workers for how hard they’re working, and she was just trying to think of something we could do,” said Principal Sonya Bailey.

With Regina Winters of the Center for Patients and Families, Roby and Bailey came up with having students create the banner.

Bella, her mother and Bailey presented the banner to AU Health CEO Katrina Keefer, Winters and the staff of the Children’s Hospital of Georgia.

The fourth-grader said she wanted this project to bring joy to “the people who work at the hospitals who have to see people die every day because of the coronavirus.”

Winters said of all the acts of support AU Health has seen from the community during the pandemic, this is probably the sweetest.

“The children of Harlem Elementary wanted to show our health care workers that they stand with them and appreciate what they are doing during the pandemic. It is heartwarming to receive this banner with their innocent and beautiful words of support, especially during the holiday season,” she said.

The banner will hang in the medical center’s B entrance.