When people work together, good things happen. At Adventist Hinsdale Hospital in Hinsdale, Ill., and Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital in La Grange, Ill., employees have come together to help others with amazing results.

At Adventist Hinsdale Hospital, employees raised funds to purchase 900 Bibles and school supplies to send to Ghana, West Africa. The idea for the gift came after a group of employees traveled to Ghana last year on a mission trip.

While building a new girls dormitory for the Bekwai Seventh-day Adventist Secondary School, employees Beverly Moon, coordinator of Hospitality Services, and Jim Today, administrative director of Facilities, discovered the girls knew scripture but only by memorization. None of them had their own Bible. School supplies were also in short supply.

Upon returning to the United States, they set to work. Alan Schneider, vice president and chief operating officer, and his wife, Connie Best Schneider, were large contributors. Russ Soliman, regional director of Information Services, started a monetary collection within his department and was able to purchase 200 new Bibles. The hospital also donated a used wheelchair that was requested by a Ghana resident for his grandmother.

Today set his department to work collecting backpacks and donations for school supplies, and donations of folders, notebooks, pencils and chalkboards flooded into the department. Soon, 67 backpacks were filled with school supplies valued at $250.

"The children of Ghana have long distances to walk when going to and from school," Today said. "We felt backpacks would be very helpful."

Next, the group turned to the Hinsdale Hospital Foundation, which granted $2,000 to cover shipping costs.

"The 17-day mission [trip] changed my life," said Moon. "It was a wonderful experience. You go to help, but looking back, I received far more than I gave. A day doesn't go by that I don't think of the children of Ghana."

The generosity continued at Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital. For the third consecutive year, the hospital is helping break the cycle of poverty by working with a remarkable organization called Common Hope.

The hospital donated requested medications along with vitamins and antacids, valued at $7,800. During Thanksgiving, Common Hope volunteers took the supplies to Guatemala, where clinic physicians gave thanks for the kindness of strangers.

"Part of our mission is to promote wellness," said David Tsang, pharmacy director. "We try to provide quality health care wherever we can, especially if it is to a needy country. Guatemalans lack the resources, and we have the means to help, so it works out well for everyone."

Physicians at the clinic put together a wish list of several drugs needed, Tsang said. "We sent antibiotics and medications for epilepsy, strep throat, hypertension, high cholesterol, peptic ulcer and diabetes, which is a prevalent disease in the area."

Conni Ainslie, pharmacy buyer, said the hospital also sent supplies to help Guatemala's youngest children this year. "The clinics requested vitamin drops for infants," she said. "It makes us so happy to be able to send supplies that will benefit people of all ages in their country, babies included."

Julie L. Busch, public relations specialist, Adventist Midwest Health