Hillbilly Christmas in July raises tens of thousands for Shriners Hospital

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - Shriners Children’s Hospital has been around for 96 years, and with the help of donations, they hope to continue their healthcare here in Lexington for decades to come.

Hillbilly Christmas in July raises money through community engagement and an annual bike ride, and it’s all for the children at the hospital.

Shriners serves patients from five different states, helping with anything orthopedic from a simple bone break to cerebral palsy. Wesley Scott, director of philanthropy at the hospital, said it’s incredible to see the difference donations like these make for their patients.

“When you see a patient come in, when you see a kid smile, who when they were born four or five years ago couldn’t walk. They weren’t sure if they’d be able to ever walk. And after four or five years of treatment they’re able to. And that’s incredibly rewarding,” Scott said.

Hillbilly Christmas in July donated $65,000 and with the help from Gearhart Communications, they added another $10,000 toward the donation.

People from the organization say it’s a no-brainer when it comes to helping children in need.

“When you come down to this hospital, I’ve made a few trips before I got to Christmas in July, before I started and when you see the kids, nobody has to tell you what you need to do, you just jump in and do it,” said Jimmy Kinney with Hillbilly Christmas in July.

Their goal is to raise a total of $1 million within the next three years for the organizations 20th anniversary.

The staff at Shriners Hospital is grateful for their generosity.

“They get to really see the impact of philanthropy on working with kids. We get to see this, this is a great part of my job. I get to do this all the time. It’s awesome, and I get to say thank you,” Scott said.

Hospital officials said 70% of the funds at hospitals use are from philanthropies and donations, so things like this go a long way.

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