NEWS

For Immediate Release                                                                                            Contact:        Bob O’Malley

December 11, 2007                                                                                                     (407) 470-0652

Sebastian Ferrero Foundation Formed as a 501(c)(3) Charity-

Foundation working to build a world-class pediatric hospital in Gainesville

GAINESVILLE, FL – The Sebastian Ferrero Foundation was formed recently as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, allowing the Gainesville-based foundation to begin receiving donations.   The Foundation was created in honor of Sebastian Ferrero, a very bright and healthy three-year-old boy who died as a result of a medication overdose and a series of preventable errors, in October 2007 following a scheduled routine outpatient test at a hospital in Gainesville, Florida.  Foundation leaders hope Sebastian’s tragic death will raise awareness of the need for a fully dedicated children’s hospital and serve as a catalyst for a profound change in the way children are cared for in Gainesville and provide an example to be followed by many others. Gainesville does not have a dedicated children’s hospital.

As a not-for-profit organization, donations to the Sebastian Ferrero Foundation are tax deductible.  The Sebastian Ferrero Foundation was created to raise money to build a free standing, state-of-the-art children’s hospital in Gainesville. Not-for profit status is the first step toward making that goal a reality.

Horst Ferrero, Sebastian’s father, said, “Our goal – a free standing, state of the art, fully dedicated children’s hospital – will require ongoing community support. It will take a long-term approach, but we will not give up until we achieve this goal. The families and children of Alachua County, and those who come to Gainesville from all over the nation, deserve the best pediatric care in the world and to be treated with compassion, courtesy and dignity.”

The Foundation already has generated significant interest in the community.  On December 6, the Foundation held its second organizational meeting, with more than 50 community leaders and a wide range of pediatric specialists, eager to support this effort. 

Anyone wishing to make a tax deductible contribution before the end of the year can do so online through the Foundation’s Web site, www.sebastianferrero.org

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