Champs Sports Football Players Bring Holiday Cheer To Hospital

Ready, Set, Hike! Champs Sports Bowl Players Bring Holiday Cheer to Florida Hospital for Children

Florida State and Wisconsin football athletes huddle with little patients to lift their spirits

ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 24, 2008 - As the Florida State University Seminoles and the University of Wisconsin Badgers made their way to Orlando for the 2008 Champs Sports Bowl, they did more than just play football. Competition aside, players from both teams went off the field to visit young patients at Florida Hospital for Children on Dec. 23. Members of the collegiate teams spread holiday joy by signing autographs, playing games and giving gifts to the little football fans.

The Champs Sports Bowl is owned and operated by Florida Citrus Sports a not-for-profit membership organization that benefits children's educational initiatives in Central Florida.  The Champs Sports Bowl is America's fastest-growing bowl game and the only annual post-season match up between the ACC and Big Ten.  It takes place on Dec. 27, 2008 at 4:30 p.m. at the Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium. 

Florida Hospital for Children is a 155-specialty-bed, full-service facility served by nearly 60 Kids' Docs, the largest panel of pediatric specialists in Orlando and a highly trained pediatric team of more than 600 employees.  The dedicated children's hospital delivers a complete range of pediatric health services to younger patients, who benefit from the expertise of specialized departments throughout Florida Hospital.  When construction is complete in 2010, Florida Hospital for Children will have 200 beds; private, family-centered pediatric rooms; an Advanced Center for Pediatric Surgery; destination pediatric programs including advanced surgery, oncology, neurosurgery, cardiology, transplant services, and full-service pediatrics; and an innovative health and obesity platform.

For more information, contact Florida Hospital Media Relations at 407-303-8217.

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