Boutique and Luncheon to Benefit Loma Linda University Children's Hospital

A boutique and luncheon to benefit Loma Linda University Children's Hospital is planned Friday Feb. 15 at Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa.

The 11th annual Boutique and Luncheon theme is "Hugs Help Healing," and it's being hosted by the Big Hearts for Little Hearts Desert Guild, according to Children's Hospital representatives.

Tickets are $100 for the event. The boutique is scheduled to open at 10 a.m. and the luncheon will begin at 12:30 p.m., according to Briana Pastorino of Loma Linda University.

"This is more than just an opportunity to shop the specialty boutiques," Joanna DeLeon, director of Loma Linda University Children's Hospital Foundation, said in a statement. "Attendees will also learn about the lifesaving services LLUCH provides to families who reside in the Coachella Valley directly from those individuals who perform miracles every day."

Presenters at previous benefits for Loma Linda University Children's Hospital have included pediatric specialists in neurology and emergency medicine, children who have received lifesaving care at LLUCH, and members of the transport team who work throughout the day and night to airlift critically ill infants and children to LLUCH, Pastorino said.

Jill Payne, MBA, executive director of LLUCH Foundation, said she appreciates Guild members' support.

"Desert Guild members are tireless in their commitment to ensuring the best in care for the region's children, and they are having fun doing it," Payne said.

"As a result, state-of-the-art equipment has been purchased; satellite pharmacies have been constructed on the neonatal intensive care and pediatric intensive care units; and transport teams who bring critically ill children to the hospital continue to provide the highest levels of lifesaving care," Payne said.

The Big Hearts for Little Hearts Desert Guild was founded in 2002 to raise awareness and support for Loma Linda University Children's Hospital, according to Loma Linda University.

Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa is at 41000 Bob Hope Drive in Rancho Mirage. For more information, contact Joanna DeLeon at (909) 558-3911.

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