Blanketed with love: St. Anthony Hospital shows support for students 

Employees of St. Anthony Community Hospital, a member of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network, recently participated in a “Serve and Remember” project.  Fleece blankets were created by the hands of workers at the hospital, and they were asked to find a local group to receive these gifts of comfort.  This year, they decided to give the blankets to the girls’ varsity tennis team.

The team huddles around Denise Hamilton Jones, Louise Feuerstack, Jia Balach and Zack Fox from the Westchester Medical Center Health Network.

When Coach Bill Zwart called for an impromptu meeting for the girls’ varsity tennis team, Ivy Yang and her teammates weren’t sure what to expect.

As they zipped up their jackets and fastened the strings on their hoods on a chilly October afternoon, Ivy and her teammates couldn’t help but wonder out loud what the meeting was for.

Ciara Browne, Wen Fen Yang, Ivy Yang, Olivia Minogue, Devon Fox, Nina Lazina said they were equally shocked and grateful for the gift.

“All [coach] said was to meet outside by the bleachers,” she said.

Once they arrived at the tennis courts, they were greeted by three smiling women wearing medical badges and holding large cardboard boxes.  

The surprise inside was surely a comforting one: staff  from the Westchester Medical Center Health Network were visiting to give each team member a homemade fleece blanket.