Naval Hospital Sailors touched by 'Grace'

Members of the hospital's chiefs' mess took a van load of gifts from hospital personnel to the FSS and presented them to Director of Community Development Chuck Young for the baby on July 26. The gifts, collected with the help of the Junior Enlisted Association and the Hospital Ward Room., included clothing, toys, baby care items, baby food, children's books, diapers, etc. Most of it was packed into a little red wagon inscribed with the Navy logo and a chief's anchor as well a plaque dedicating the gift to the baby from the chief's mess.

CSCS Michel Stokes, HMC Joshua Rosario, HMC Florencia Dean and CMDCM Dennis Green unload a van of donated items at the Family Support Services of North Florida. The items were contributed by military staff at Naval Hospital Jacksonville for baby "Grace".

Making the official presentation and naming the baby an honorary member of the hospital staff, was Naval Hospital Jacksonville Command Master Chief CMDCM(AW) Dennis Green. He said this effort developed on its own. Numerous Sailors came to him on Monday after learning of the baby's story and expressed a desire to do something. The chiefs decided to take this on as a project through which they could do some good. "In the Navy we're one big family," Green said, "And in the naval hospital we're an even closer family. We just wanted this little girl to grow up knowing that even though she didn't have a birth family, she had a larger family that's there for her."

Young expressed the gratitude of the FSS for the gifts and noted that his staff had just chosen the name "Grace" for her. Taken from the hymn "Amazing Grace," Young said it reflects both the child's beauty and the miraculous circumstances through which she was found.

Several members of the Naval Hospital Jacksonville Chiefs' Mess were on hand to present donated items to Family Support Services of North Florida on behalf of newborn baby "Grace."

He said Grace is just one of 30 children, mostly babies; they take into their care monthly. He said the agency has more than 350 children in need of loving parents to adopt them at this time. FSS provides prevention programs, assisted living support to enable mother's to handle the challenges of parenting, educational funding, foster care and adoption services.

Young said the service's community outreach has the goal of forming partnerships with organizations such as the Navy. Speaking to the entire community he said, "these children are our children."

For more on Family Support Services of North Florida visit www.fssjax.org. Pictures of children available for adoption can be seen at heartgalleryjax.org. More on Naval Hospital Jacksonville is available at Navalhospitaljax.med.navy.mil.