(Bradenton, Fla., Dec. 18, 2018) — State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (SCF) sent a special envoy to local hospitals to cheer up children in the pediatric units and to thank the nurses, many of them SCF graduates, who care for patients over the holidays. Dr. Todd Fritch, executive vice president and provost, and Maverick the Manatee, SCF’s mascot, brought a basket of manatees – stuffed of course – to the littlest hospital patients on Tuesday.

This is the fourth year SCF visited local hospitals as part of its outreach to the community. Fritch, who joined the college this year, said it was a treat visiting the children and their parents to offer a little cheer. He and Maverick also got to enjoy time with brand new babies in the mother and baby unit at Sarasota Memorial Hospital.

This year’s visit came just a few days after 58 new nurses from SCF got their nursing pins, adding nearly five dozen much needed nurses to the local workforce.

For more information on SCF, visit SCF.edu. For information on the nursing program, visit SCF.edu/nursing.

Maverick and Todd Fritch, SCF executive vice president and provost, visited with nurses at Manatee Memorial Hospital Tuesday morning.

Maverick and Dr. Todd Fritch, SCF executive vice president and provost, visited with nurses at Manatee Memorial Hospital Tuesday morning.