Mr. SHS will give to local hospital

With the Sisters High School Mr. SHS 2009 pageant less than two months away, the candidates, their escorts and committee members are working hard to ensure this year's performance stands out from years past.

A new beneficiary this year, the fund-raiser will benefit St. Charles Medical Center-Bend's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) rather than Doernbecher Children's Hospital.

To orient the contestants to the new recipient of their fund-raising, the candidates visited St. Charles and the NICU. There the candidates received a guided tour of the entire facility, including the NICU, listened to parents of NICU patients and viewed movies as to how their fund-raised dollars would be utilized.

Candidate Jared Henderson said "When I visited the NICU center I was completely blown away by the miracles that happen there every day. A former NICU patient and his mother came in and spoke to us about the challenges they faced and overcame. The people involved with NICU - nurses, doctors, parents and patients - are my heroes. I could never imagine going through what they face every day."

The students and their escorts will each return to receive an individual, more in-depth, hands-on tour of the NICU later in the month.

"We are so grateful the Mr. SHS program has chosen to raise funds for the NICU of St. Charles that serves all of Central Oregon. The money raised will benefit not only our most vulnerable babies but their families. We are so proud of these young men and women and the example they are setting as leaders in our community," said Amy Jo Bellew, Special Events Coordinator for the St. Charles Foundation.

The NICU at St. Charles is a 12-room unit that provides care for up to 24 newborns at one time. These babies are typically premature or sick newborns requiring specialized care for medical issues such as birth defects or low birth weight.

The NICU utilizes technology such as private rooms that simulate the womb and special lighting that mimics the newborn's natural circadian rhythms. The St. Charles NICU is the only designated NICU in Central/Eastern Oregon, meaning that the facility receives patients from throughout Central and Eastern Oregon. These patients often arrive via Air Link or by ground ambulance.

Mr. SHS is an annual pageant in its 10th year, featuring Sisters High School Senior boys selected by Sisters High School staff based on their character, integrity, and community involvement. The selected candidates then choose an escort and begin the fund-raising process, with all of the money going to the year's charitable cause.

This year's pageant theme will be "Takin' Care of Business," with the candidates playing the roles of various professionals. A panel of judges chooses the winning candidate based on their performance in the pageant, including their individual talent presentation, formal wear presentation and answer to a randomly selected question.

This year's candidates are Thomas Arends, escorted by Taylor DelGuidice; Mike Calavan, escorted by Kjersti Burck; Ross Cristiano, escorted by Jordyn Valdez; Lee Elder, escorted by Lindsey Berger; Ross Erickson, escorted by Susan Ruettgers; Wesley Ford, escorted by Aubrey Cretsinger; Sam Fullhart, escorted by Emi Conrads; Nick Head, escorted by Courtney Acarregui; Jared Henderson, escorted by Laura Curtis; Drew Herron, escorted by Felicia Pledger; Levi Rowe, escorted by Karah Herr; and Jordan Tandy, escorted by Lanie Milroy.

To contribute, contact the candidate of your choice; checks may be made out to Sisters High School. All donations are tax deductible.

Mr. SHS 2009 is open to the public and will be held at Sisters High School on Monday, March 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium. Tickets are $5 and available at the door, from any contestant or from Connie Neilson at Sisters High School. All proceeds will benefit the St. Charles-Bend NICU.