Nov. 22, 2006
Orlando, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The UCF football team will use part of its Thanksgiving Holiday to pay a special visit to Florida Children's Hospital and the Ronald McDonald House of Orlando on Friday.
Head Coach George O'Leary along with select players and coaches will spend part of Friday morning visiting young Golden Knight fans at both facilities before the team closes out its regular season on Saturday against UAB at the Florida Citrus Bowl.
Throughout the season, the Golden Knights partnered with local area McDonald franchisees to raise money for the Ronald McDonald Houses at Florida Children's Hospital and Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children.
Through 11 games, more than $6,000 dollars has been raised for the two facilities as the fund grows by $1 per yard gained by UCF and by $100 for each touchdown scored by the Golden Knights.
Florida Children's Hospital is a 138-bed "hospital within a hospital" that allows Florida Hospital to deliver a complete range of dedicated pediatric health services to younger patients, who benefit from the expertise of specialized departments throughout the hospital. Our healing environment is nature inspired and designed to enhance the well-being and speedy recovery of our pediatric patients.
The Ronald McDonald House of Orlando, the first in Central Florida, opened on the campus of Florida Hospital in December, 1996 with 13 bedrooms and expanded to 22 bedrooms in February, 2000. The second Ronald McDonald House of Orlando is a three-story plantation colonial style home and opened in May 2003 on the campus of Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children.