Knoxville family gives back to hospital with fundraising projects

Knoxville family gives back to hospital with fundraising projects

KNOXVILLE (WATE) -- UT Medical Center dedicated the region's first private room intensive care unit for babies in 2007, but the project is still not complete.

While fundraising for the neonatal intensive care unit's second phase is ramping up, a local family is taking the opportunity to give back in honor of their daughter, who benefited from the unit.

Three-year-old Shelby Smith has the energy of a typical three year old. It's hard to believe today she was born three months early and barely the size of her father's hand.

"We have some pictures with Shelby, with [her father's] wedding ring on her arm, all the way up past her elbow," said her mother, Millicent Smith. "We could just hold her in the palm of our hands."

Within weeks of bringing Shelby to their Knoxville home, Millicent and Seth knew they wanted to give back to UT Medical Center and the staff in the neonatal intensive care unit.

"We are just so thankful and grateful for everything they did for us," Seth said.

To raise money, the Smiths, who both work for Knox County Schools, started "Hoops for Preemies," a pre-season basketball exhibition for local high school teams.

In the past two years they have raised $10,000.

Now, as the hospital begins a massive fundraising effort to finish the first private room NCIU in the region, the family is hoping to score a slam dunk with an additional fundraiser called "Hoopla at the Square Room."

"I know that the whole nature/nurture experience is really critical to their development," said Stacy Rivers, Shelby's aunt. "It's very important to me, because of my passion for children and the setting they are brought up in, to get behind this project."

Hoops for Preemies is Saturday at Webb School from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is free, donations will be accepted.

Hoopla at the Square Room is Saturday night from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Tickets are $40 and include dinner, two drink tickets, and live entertainment.