Johnson & Johnson knows how to make nurses feel special. But this time, they outdid themselves.
Just ask anyone who attended Johnson & Johnson’s Promise of Nursing for Maryland Gala on Sept. 24 at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront hotel, held in partnership with Nursing Spectrum.
As part of J&J’s Campaign for Nursing’s Future, the event provided a showcase for nurses to shine.
Sparkling smiles and attire adorned the more than 700 attendees, who were representing facilities and organizations at the fundraising celebration of nursing. Glitter and glamour were in abundance, a far cry from the shapeless scrubs so often associated with nurses. You only have to look at the numerous photos of Maryland RNs online at Campaignfornursing.com/events/city04 to see what I mean.
Before the ceremony, we at Nursing Spectrum honored nurses by proudly displaying our historic Florence Nightingale letters. Right before their eyes, dazzled guests were able to see and read the words of Florence Nightingale, penned in her own hand almost a century and a half ago.
As the festivities continued, attendees were ushered into a giant ballroom, where an overhead light display danced off of the walls, ceiling, and a crystal chandelier that must have been the size of my living room. On a stage fit for the Academy Awards, nurses who are stars in their fields eloquently told inspiring stories. White linen, flowered centerpieces, and smartly uniformed staff who delivered gourmet plates delighted all of our senses. With a setting like this, it was no wonder we all felt so special.
The highlight of the evening was the amateur video competition. Nurses from local facilities submitted videos, and the audience was asked to choose the winner with applause. Sometimes poignant, often humorous, and always entertaining, these seven short videos showed nurses singing, dancing, or creatively performing as they went about their day.
The winner was a video produced by the University of Maryland Medical Center’s radiology nurses that included a crowd-pleasing fashion show. With Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman” playing in the background, the radiology RNs sashayed by the camera in their everyday nursing garb, covered from head to toe in scrubs, booties, lead aprons, colorful gloves, surgical masks, and scrub hats.
Once again, J&J proved to be a friend to nurses by raising more than $500,000. Because J&J, in partnership with Nursing Spectrum, sponsored the evening, 100% of the funds raised will go to undergraduate scholarships, faculty fellowships, and nursing school grants, all to help ease the nursing shortage in the state of Maryland.
No wonder we at Gannett Healthcare Group, publishers of Nursing Spectrum and Nurse.com, are so proud to be a partner with J&J. Celebrating and supporting nurses is what we are both all about.
Pam Meredith, RN, NP, serves as Director, Nursing Communications & Initiatives for Gannett Healthcare Group. Write to her at pmeredith@gannetthg.com.
Just ask anyone who attended Johnson & Johnson’s Promise of Nursing for Maryland Gala on Sept. 24 at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront hotel, held in partnership with Nursing Spectrum.
As part of J&J’s Campaign for Nursing’s Future, the event provided a showcase for nurses to shine.
Sparkling smiles and attire adorned the more than 700 attendees, who were representing facilities and organizations at the fundraising celebration of nursing. Glitter and glamour were in abundance, a far cry from the shapeless scrubs so often associated with nurses. You only have to look at the numerous photos of Maryland RNs online at Campaignfornursing.com/events/city04 to see what I mean.
Before the ceremony, we at Nursing Spectrum honored nurses by proudly displaying our historic Florence Nightingale letters. Right before their eyes, dazzled guests were able to see and read the words of Florence Nightingale, penned in her own hand almost a century and a half ago.
As the festivities continued, attendees were ushered into a giant ballroom, where an overhead light display danced off of the walls, ceiling, and a crystal chandelier that must have been the size of my living room. On a stage fit for the Academy Awards, nurses who are stars in their fields eloquently told inspiring stories. White linen, flowered centerpieces, and smartly uniformed staff who delivered gourmet plates delighted all of our senses. With a setting like this, it was no wonder we all felt so special.
The highlight of the evening was the amateur video competition. Nurses from local facilities submitted videos, and the audience was asked to choose the winner with applause. Sometimes poignant, often humorous, and always entertaining, these seven short videos showed nurses singing, dancing, or creatively performing as they went about their day.
The winner was a video produced by the University of Maryland Medical Center’s radiology nurses that included a crowd-pleasing fashion show. With Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman” playing in the background, the radiology RNs sashayed by the camera in their everyday nursing garb, covered from head to toe in scrubs, booties, lead aprons, colorful gloves, surgical masks, and scrub hats.
Once again, J&J proved to be a friend to nurses by raising more than $500,000. Because J&J, in partnership with Nursing Spectrum, sponsored the evening, 100% of the funds raised will go to undergraduate scholarships, faculty fellowships, and nursing school grants, all to help ease the nursing shortage in the state of Maryland.
No wonder we at Gannett Healthcare Group, publishers of Nursing Spectrum and Nurse.com, are so proud to be a partner with J&J. Celebrating and supporting nurses is what we are both all about.
Pam Meredith, RN, NP, serves as Director, Nursing Communications & Initiatives for Gannett Healthcare Group. Write to her at pmeredith@gannetthg.com.
