Love's Raises Funds to Help Local Children

Employees at three local Love’s® Travel Stops & Country Stores raised $29,242 for Freeman Health System, the local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital. More than 390 stores in 40 states participated in the five-week national campaign that raised a record $2.53 million for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Since 1998, Love’s has raised more than $17.5 million for the nonprofit organization.

From August 26 – September 30, Love’s team members sold Miracle Balloons for donations and organized numerous events. Locally, team members hosted cookouts, a barbecue with Santa, pie-in-the-face challenges and a dunk tank. The events, combined with Miracle Balloon sales, pushed the local locations past the goal of $15,000 and increased fundraising 169 percent over last year’s campaign total.

“We cannot say enough about this special partnership,” said Heather Lesmeister, Freeman Assistant Director of Development and External Relations. “Each year, the management and employees amaze us by their level of commitment to the children and families we serve. We look forward to working with them each year.”

The money raised at each Love’s location stays local. Of the 170 Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals in North America, 99 benefit from Love’s annual campaign.

About Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores
Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores is headquartered in Oklahoma City, Ok. Founded in 1964, Love’s has more than 390 locations in 40 states. Love’s provides professional truck drivers and motorists with 24-hour access to clean and safe places to purchase gasoline, diesel fuel, travel items, electronics, snacks and more, as well as a selection of restaurant offerings. On-site Love’s Truck Tire Care centers offer roadside assistance, tire care and light mechanical services for professional truck drivers. Showers, CAT scales and other services for professional truck drivers are also available. Loves, which remains family-owned and operated, employs more than 15,000 people. To learn more, visit loves.com.

About Freeman Health System
Locally owned, not-for-profit and nationally recognized, Freeman Health System includes Freeman Hospital West, Freeman Hospital East, Freeman Neosho Hospital and Ozark Center – the area’s largest provider of behavioral health services – as well as two urgent care clinics, dozens of physician clinics and a variety of specialty services. For 2017, Freeman earned dozens of individual awards for medical excellence and patient safety from CareChex®, a quality rating system that helps consumers evaluate healthcare providers. U.S. News & World Report ranked Freeman one of the top Hospitals in Southwest Missouri more than four years in a row. With more than 300 physicians on staff representing more than 60 specialties, Freeman provides cancer care, heart and vascular care, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopaedics, children’s services and women’s services. Additionally, Freeman is the only Children’s Miracle Network Hospital in a 70-mile radius. For more information, visit freemanhealth.com or facebook.com/freemanhealthsystem or follow Freeman President and Chief Executive Officer Paula Baker at twitter.com/freemanceo.