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PEORIA, Ill., Aug. 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The OSF HealthCare Foundation today announced that Jump Simulation, a part of OSF Innovation, will receive a $400,000 grant from the PNC Foundation to expand the successful STEAM (Science, Technology, Art, Engineering, and Math) education program to students who are also patients at OSF HealthCare Children's Hospital of Illinois. In addition, PNC Bank has pledged $100,000 for the charitable sponsorship of the Angel Ball, OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center's major fundraising event. Both the grant and sponsorship are payable over a five-year period.

"The innovative teams at Jump have been engaging students through a variety of STEAM program opportunities including Saturday STEAM classes at Jump for middle and high school students," said Tom Hammerton, President, OSF HealthCare Foundation. "We want to offer that same experience to children and teenagers who are admitted to OSF Children's Hospital for extended periods of time and we are now able to do that, thanks to the generous support of PNC."

The funds will support the work of five Jump college engineering interns each year, who will design and deploy a 3D-printed object, part of a hands-on kit that will be brought to children's bedsides for STEAM education. The money will also fund 1,000 student scholarships over the next five years for low-to-moderate-income students to attend STEAM courses at Jump.

"We know how important it is to introduce young minds as early as possible to math, science and the arts," said Brian Ray, PNC regional president for central Illinois. "However, for the brave children and teens who face extended hospital stays, their access to classroom learning and experiences can be interrupted. This program brings the learning to them so they can continue on their path as future engineers, scientists, physicians or whatever creative path they choose." 

The kits developed at Jump Simulation will also be available for children's hospitals around the country to download and implement, expanding the impact of this innovative program nationwide. Through the support of PNC and others, the Jump internship program has expanded to include education art, industrial design, and user-centered design to bring new ideas to life. This work provides resources to the world community as downloadable medical education technologies.

"Summer internships at Jump are highly competitive because of the work we are doing to transform health care for those we serve. We have the best and brightest young minds from around the world working on this project that will have a positive impact on children around the country. We are very appreciative of the support from PNC as we make this exciting opportunity a reality," said Dr. John Vozenilek, vice president and chief medical officer of Jump Simulation.

The PNC Pediatric Classroom at OSF Children's Hospital, which opened in 2012, will also receive additional funding through this grant. Children who are hospitalized have benefitted from nearly 4,700 books provided through the generosity of PNC.

Through the new PNC grant, the STEAM program is expected to reach more than 20,000 patients and students over the next five years. That includes those served in the pediatric classroom, interns, community STEAM scholarships and bedside STEAM kids. Learn more at www.jumpsimulation.org/pnc.    

The PNC Foundation, which receives its principal funding from The PNC Financial Services Group (www.pnc.com), actively supports organizations that provide services for the benefit of communities in which it has a significant presence. The foundation focuses its philanthropic mission on early childhood education and community and economic development, which includes the arts and culture. Through Grow Up Great, its signature cause that began in 2004, PNC has created a bilingual $350 million, multi-year initiative to help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life.

PNC Bank, National Association, is a member of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC). The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC) is one of the largest diversified financial services institutions in the United States. With a retail branch network that stretches across 19 states and the District of Columbia; and strategic international offices in Canada, China, Germany and the U.K., PNC is organized around its customers and communities for strong relationships and local delivery of retail and business banking, including a full range of lending products; specialized services for corporations and government entities, including corporate banking, real estate finance and asset-based lending; wealth management and asset management. For information about PNC, visit www.pnc.com.

OSF HealthCare Children's Hospital of Illinois in Peoria is the third largest pediatric hospital in Illinois and the only full service tertiary hospital for kids downstate.  With 136 beds and more than 141 pediatric subspecialists, Children's Hospital cares for more children in Illinois than any hospital outside of Chicago. Formally established as a pediatric hospital within the walls of OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in 1990, Children's Hospital has over 7,000 admissions; 2,500 newborn deliveries, and 18,000 emergency department visits each year. More at www.childrenshospitalofillinois.org

Jump Simulation, part of OSF Innovation, is a collaboration with OSF HealthCare and the University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria. The center is one of the largest of its kind and provides space for conferences, anatomic training, virtual reality, and innovation. For more information, visit www.jumpsimulation.org.

Contact: Shelli Dankoff | Media Relations Program Manager – OSF HealthCare  309.655.3897

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SOURCE OSF HealthCare