by Reading Hospital – Tower Health
This holiday season, The Friends of Reading Hospital are encouraging employees and community members to shop local at the annual Holiday Happening Artisan’s Fair on Wednesday, Dec. 6, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event will be held in the Reading Hospital Fifth Avenue Lobby and Conference Rooms 1 to 3, and free valet parking is available at the 5th Avenue Garage.
The fair will feature more than 15 local vendors selling handmade signs, jewelry, soaps, and so much more. The Friends will also be selling their signature items, which consist of handmade wreaths, gift baskets, and a wide array of cookies. “We look forward to this event every year,” said Sharon Keating, President of The Friends of Reading Hospital. “We begin preparations months in advance to ensure this cornerstone event is the best it can be. It’s a great way to connect with and support our local artists and small businesses.”
The Friends of Reading Hospital will donate all proceeds from the event towards multiple programs that benefit the well-being of community members, such as HeartSAFE Berks County, Reading Hospital Street Medicine, and Reach Out and Read.
Mary Ellen Batman, a 33-year Reading Hospital volunteer and member of The Friends of Reading Hospital, visited every craft show within one hour of the hospital to invite area artisans to share their work.
“We are so grateful to Mary Ellen Batman for taking the time to help curate Holiday Happening to include a variety of handmade and artisanal items,” Keating said. “She has done a tremendous job selecting this year’s vendors so we are encouraging as many people as we can to come out to the event and shop local.”
Each year, The Friends of Reading Hospital hosts Holiday Happening to support local artisans and offer employees the opportunity to find unique gifts for their friends and family right where they work. They also oversaw their annual cookie sale, which consisted of classics like sand tarts, chocolate chip, and snickerdoodle cookies. This year, they sold 492 boxes of cookies.
This year’s vendors will include:
- Furniture Farm and Antiques
- Linda Beiler’s Wheat Straw Art
- Urban Charm
- Sandy’s Cookie Company
- The Tubby Olive
- Handmade Jewelry by Vicki
- The Great American Creamery
- On Lilac Lane
- Sweet Sally’s Soaps
- From the Heart Consignment
- Fran Parzenese
- Tinsel & Twig
- Ginger Bread Cookie Co.
- Sue Boronski (Scentsy)
- Reppert’s Candy, Inc.
- Joanie’s Creations
- Cedar Hill Flower Girls
- The Friends of Reading Hospital
Reading Hospital is the flagship, Magnet Recognized, acute care hospital of Tower Health. Located in West Reading, Reading Hospital is a 697-bed hospital that is home to many top-tier specialty care centers, including Reading HealthPlex, McGlinn Cancer Institute, Miller Regional Heart Center, Emergency Department, Level I Trauma Center, and Beginnings Maternity Center, which houses the region’s only Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). With more than 1,000 physicians, specialists, and advanced practice providers across 49 locations, Reading Hospital has been recognized for its quality outcomes and clinical expertise across service lines. It is listed as one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for four consecutive years (and moving up to America’s 50 Best Hospitals in 2022). For more information, visit towerhealth.org.
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