In February, ECU Health, James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital at ECU Health Medical Center and EastCare unveiled North Carolina’s first and only dedicated helicopter for pediatric and neonatal transport. This helicopter advances a longstanding legacy of high-quality, family-centered pediatric care across eastern North Carolina.
The Children’s Transport Team has grown from serving approximately 200 neonatal patients annually to nearly 1,200 neonatal and pediatric transports each year, with specialty-trained clinicians delivering care in the field. Equipped for the smallest patients, the Airbus EC145 C-2 features donor-supported technology, including pediatric ventilators, specialty stretchers, cooling blankets, isolettes and a video-assisted laryngoscope, creating a true mobile ICU in the sky.
In the first 31 days of operation, the helicopter completed 40 transports, equal to 25% of all air transports in 2025, expanding access to rapid, specialized care across the region when it matters most.
“One third of the children we transport are premature or neonatal infants, many of whom need highly-specialized care,” said Dr. Matthew Ledoux, pediatrician in chief at Maynard Children’s Hospital and chair of pediatrics at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University.
“This new helicopter gives us the ability to reach these babies faster, stabilize them sooner and deliver ICU level care from the very first moments of transport. It is truly a game changer for pediatric and neonatal outcomes in eastern North Carolina.”
This dedicated aircraft strengthens a decade-long pediatric transport partnership and represents a major step forward in delivering faster response, earlier stabilization and improved outcomes for children and families across eastern North Carolina.
Martin and Melissa Anderson, longtime supporters of the ECU Health Foundation, are making a difference in the lives of others through their commitment and passion for philanthropy and service. Through the years, the Andersons have supported the efforts of James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital at ECU Health Medical Center and the College of Nursing at East Carolina University. Most recently, Martin and Melissa established a $250,000 endowment to benefit pediatric cardiology patients and clinicians at Maynard Children’s Hospital.
The Anna-Gray Anderson and Family Pediatric Cardiology Endowment, named in honor of their daughter, Anna-Gray, will provide programmatic and capital support with funding priority given to support Camp WholeHeart, a weekend camp designed for children living with congenital heart defects. Anna-Gray herself was once a pediatric cardiology patient at Maynard Children’s Hospital and, today, is a healthy 27-year-old living in Colorado.
Filled with gratitude for the lifesaving care and compassion their family received more than two decades ago, the Andersons created this endowment as a way to give back and ensure other children and families across eastern North Carolina receive the same specialized care and support that meant so much to them. Their gift reflects not only their appreciation, but also their deep commitment to advancing pediatric health care in the region they proudly call home.
As a Jersey Mike’s franchise owner, Martin has also demonstrated his commitment to giving back through the company’s annual Day of Giving campaign, held each year on the last Wednesday in March, during which 100% of sales are donated to local charities. Wanting to honor the exceptional care his daughter received at James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital, Martin designated the hospital as the beneficiary for all of his franchise locations in North Carolina. What began as a deeply personal commitment has since resulted in more than $1 million raised to support sick and injured children across eastern North Carolina.
The Andersons’ spirit of generosity and service is deeply rooted in the example set by their parents, who devoted decades to caring for and strengthening eastern North Carolina communities. Melissa’s father, the late Dr. William Monroe, lived a life defined by compassion, service and dedication to others. He began his medical career serving as the only physician for his battalion during the Vietnam War, where he was awarded the Bronze Star for Merit and the Combat Medical Badge for his service and sacrifice.
Following his military service, Dr. Monroe established his ophthalmology practice at Greenville Eye Clinic in 1969, where he faithfully cared for patients for nearly 40 years. Guided by a lifelong commitment to serving others, he also volunteered as the eye doctor for ECU Athletics for almost 35 years. In honor of his enduring legacy, the Anderson family, including her sister, Christina Teague, established the $25,000 Dr. William Monroe Medic to Nurse Endowment, supporting ECU’s College of Nursing medic-to-nurse pathway, helping future nurses continue a tradition of compassionate care. As a Pirate™ Nurse herself who worked at ECU Health Medical Center’s Pediatric ICU for 27 years, Melissa treasures the opportunity to help future nurses establish the same commitment to care demonstrated by her father.
The Andersons’ commitment to philanthropy has also been inspired by their mothers, both proud East Carolina University alumnae who shared a deep love for their community and a belief in the power of education and service. To honor their mothers’ legacies and invest in the future of eastern North Carolina, Martin and Melissa established the Blanche Kammer Monroe & Frankie Martin Carstarphen Anderson Endowment for faculty support at East Carolina University. Through this $25,000 endowment, they hope to strengthen opportunities for future generations in the College of Nursing by supporting teaching stipends, research and student assistance, in gratitude for the region and institutions that have played such an important role in their family’s story.
Not only does Melissa give back through philanthropic support, but she also invests her time and expertise through service. She currently serves on the American Heart Association of Greenville Heart Ball executive leadership team, the ECU Health Patient and Family Advisory Council and the College of Nursing DAAB (Dean’s Advisory and Advancement Board), which advances the dean’s strategic vision for nursing education in eastern North Carolina.
For more than 57 years, the Anderson family’s connection to ECU and ECU Health has remained a constant thread in their lives, shaped by care received, relationships built and a deep sense of belonging to the community. That enduring connection continues to inspire their commitment to giving back. As Melissa and Martin reflect, “we are just so grateful to be able to give back to the hospital and university that have given so much to our family.”
The 41st annual Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Celebration Broadcast raised an incredible $1,086,906 to support pediatric care at James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital at ECU Health Medical Center, bringing the total raised over four decades to $36.6 million. Thanks to the ongoing support of donors, volunteers and partners, children from across our region continue to receive the highest quality care, close to home.
Produced by longtime CMN partner WITN, this year’s broadcast highlighted the real-life impact of CMN support through heartfelt stories from patients, families and care teams at Maynard Children’s Hospital. The program demonstrated how community generosity helps ensure children throughout eastern North Carolina have access to exceptional pediatric care when they need it most, with a special $100,000 matching gift from a true friend of Maynard Children’s Hospital providing even greater support.
“The generosity displayed during this year’s telethon is a powerful reminder of what our community can accomplish when we come together,” said Elise Ironmonger, director of programs, ECU Health Foundation. “Every donation represents an investment in the health and future of local kids and families. We are deeply grateful to the businesses, organizations, volunteers and individual donors whose support helps Maynard Children’s Hospital provide advanced care, innovative treatments and hope for children throughout eastern North Carolina.”
Funds raised during the Celebration Broadcast ensure that children from across the region have access to the highest quality care, advanced medical equipment and life-saving programs. Each dollar raised stays local to support pediatric services at Maynard Children’s Hospital.
Major sponsors once again demonstrated their generosity, with the following top contributors each giving at least $100,000: Speedway, part of 7-11, Inc ($174,903), Walmart and Sam’s Club ($157,802), Music for Miracles Radiothon ($121,980) and Log A Load for Kids ($100,000).
The following sponsors each made a significant impact with donations totaling more than $20,000: Dance Arts Theatre ($34,814), Panda Express ($26,947) and Extra Life ($21,362).
The following organizations contributed between $5,000 and $20,000: Ace Hardware, American Builders, Barbour Hendrick Honda of Greenville, Dairy Queen, Eastern Radiologists, Miller and Friends Lemonade Stand, Ollie’s, Phi Mu, Pepsi/Minges Bottling Group and Publix.
Additional support came from these generous sponsors who contributed between $1,000 and $5,000: Ajay Ajmera, Arun Ajmera, Beaufort Hardware and Print Company, Builder’s Discount Center, Care-O-World, Grady-White Boats, Harris, Creech, Ward & Blackerby, P.A., RE/MAX, Oasis Shrine, Piratethon, Ricci Law Firm, Stallings Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning, Valvoline, Walgreens and Wawa.
The local CMN fundraising program is staffed and supported by the ECU Health Foundation, the non-profit charitable corporation that serves as the custodian for all financial gifts and bequests to ECU Health and the colleges and schools of the Health Sciences at ECU. The ECU Health Foundation oversees allocation of all donated funds.
The newly dedicated room in memory of Ann Parsons inside ECU Health’s Tender Evaluation, Diagnosis and Intervention for a Better Abuse Response (TEDI BEAR) Children’s Advocacy Center is filled with toys, games, puzzles, books and, of course, teddy bears, all designed to create a safe environment for children in crisis. For those at the clinic, dedicating the room to Parsons’ memory symbolizes her legacy as a nurse practitioner who committed decades of her life to supporting thousands of pediatric patients.
TEDI BEAR is a partnership between the Department of Pediatrics at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University and James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital at ECU Health Medical Center that serves children from birth through 18 who may be victims of abuse. TEDI BEAR and the Mt. Olive Children’s Advocacy Center in Duplin County are valuable resources for families in eastern North Carolina, an underserved region with few behavioral health options for children and adolescents. TEDI BEAR provides forensic interviews, medical evaluations, child advocacy and specialized therapy designed to help children heal from trauma.
Civic groups, individual benefactors and partners like the ECU Health Foundation play a critical role funding the TEDI BEAR Children’s Advocacy Center to give kids in crisis a space to be kids. Recently, TEDI BEAR and the Center for Child and Family Wellness (CCFW) came together under one roof, creating a more connected, compassionate space for healing, prevention and hope. Donor support provides funding for these critical children’s programs.
For more information about how you can support TEDI BEAR, please contact the ECU Health Foundation at 252-847-5626 or click here and complete the form.
In April 2026, during Child Abuse Prevention Month, we celebrated an important new chapter for children and families across eastern North Carolina. ECU Health’s TEDI BEAR Children’s Advocacy Center and the Center for Child and Family Wellness (CCFW) officially came together under one roof, creating a more connected, compassionate space for healing, prevention and hope.
TEDI BEAR Children’s Advocacy is the largest advocacy center in North Carolina, caring for more than 900 children from 31 counties in eastern North Carolina annually. Providing a full spectrum of assessment, treatment, education and prevention for children who may have been victims of child abuse or neglect, TEDI BEAR provides specialized, trauma-informed care that helps reduce fear and uncertainty during an incredibly vulnerable time. Standing for Tender Evaluation, Diagnostic and Intervention for a Better Abuse Response, the center is a partnership between the Department of Pediatrics at the Brody School of Medicine and Maynard Children’s Hospital.
At the same time, the CCFW continues its important work focused on prevention, helping children stay healthy, safe and out of the hospital through programs centered on injury prevention, safe sleep, suicide prevention, asthma education and school health initiatives.
Together, these teams are creating a coordinated network of care that supports not only individual children, but entire families and communities throughout our region. Because of generous donors and community partners, children who walk through these doors are met not only with expert care, but with comfort, dignity and hope for the future.
For more information about how you can support TEDI BEAR, please contact the ECU Health Foundation at 252-847-5626 or click here and complete the form.
Listeners from all over the East phoned in their support for children and raised $121,890 during the 29th annual Music for Miracles Radiothon on 107.9 WNCT and all Inner Banks Media stations. Since its inception in 1998, the radiothon has now raised over $4.1 million, directly enhancing James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital’s programs and services.
“Each year, I am touched by the extraordinary generosity of this community,” said Elise Ironmonger, Director of Programs for ECU Health Foundation and Children’s Miracle Network of Greenville. “Their steadfast dedication to improving health care for children across eastern North Carolina continues to inspire me. I’m also so grateful to the families who bravely share their stories — these children truly are miracles. It’s an honor to highlight the exceptional care they’ve received at Maynard Children’s Hospital.”
This year’s radiothon aired on all Inner Banks Media radio stations on March 26 and 27. In addition to 107.9, participating stations included: Talk 96.3 and 103.7; Oldies 94.1 and 102.7; and 94.3 The Game.
All funds raised through Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) events like the radiothon are allocated entirely to supporting programs and services at Maynard Children’s Hospital. These contributions help procure life-saving medical equipment, enhance educational opportunities for patients and staff, provide comforting resources for children and develop new, state-of-the-art facilities. This year’s radiothon included a $20,000 match from Craig Goess and Greenville Toyota.
“For 29 years now, the generosity of our listeners has allowed us to raise funds for this great hospital,” said Henry Hinton, president, Inner Banks Media. “I’m so appreciative to all who tuned in and offered their support to the sick and injured children of eastern North Carolina. This year’s successful radiothon is something I am really proud of.”
Children’s Miracle Network is a fundraising program of the ECU Health Foundation. Maynard Children’s Hospital in Greenville serves children and their families living throughout a 29-county region in eastern North Carolina. For those who missed the radiothon but would still like to contribute, donations can be made at www.GiveToCMN.com.
Pirates vs. Cancer, a student‑driven initiative dedicated to supporting children and families facing cancer, is set to host its annual spring fundraising event on April 10 at the ECU Health Sciences Campus. Led by medical, dental and allied health students, Pirates vs. Cancer brings together the entire health sciences community for a day of giving, celebration and solidarity with pediatric patients.
One hundred percent of the funds raised by Pirates vs. Cancer is donated to ECU Health Foundation to benefit programs at the James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital at ECU Health Medical Center. Some of those programs have included camps and other programs specifically designed to provide pediatric patients with childhood experiences.
Among the most tangible examples of the group’s efforts is on the Maynard Children’s Hospital’s second floor. In 2024, Pirates vs. Cancer funds were designated to renovate a playroom and fill it with toys, games, crafts and technology that help patients take their mind off procedures and just be kids.
“We were able to almost double the size of this playroom for these kids and add so many more interactive features,” said Elise Ironmonger, director of programs at the ECU Health Foundation. “It’s really a place of respite for them when they are facing treatment for months, weeks at a time.”
Pirates Vs. Cancer was founded by Brody School of Medicine students in 2017 and has raised over $176,000 in the past 10 years. Leadership and participants are composed of students, faculty and staff from the School of Medicine, School of Dental Medicine, College of Nursing, College of Allied Health Sciences and the Undergraduate campus. Together, they raise funds that directly impact their community.
To support Pirates Vs. Cancer, please click here.
ECU Health, James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital at ECU Health Medical Center and EastCare announced the arrival of North Carolina’s first medical transport helicopter dedicated solely to pediatric patients.
The helicopter carries specialized neonatal and pediatric equipment—including ventilators designed for the smallest patients—and features a spacious, child friendly interior. The environment allows clinical teams to deliver both intensive medical treatment and developmentally supportive care in a space where children can feel safe and comforted. Much of the equipment in the aircraft was funded by generous donors through the ECU Health Foundation.
For more information on how you can support EastCare and Children’s Transport, please contact Rhonda James.
Across ECU Health Medical Center and the James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital, three dogs named Clive, Erving and Sam are leaving pawprints in the heart of patients, their families and team members alike. Whether in rehabilitation or pediatrics, these four-legged friends bring joy, motivation and emotional support to patients and their families.
Sam’s arrival was the result of nearly eight years of advocacy and planning by Child Life specialists Ashton Ayers and Chelse Smith, along with colleagues Jaymi Mendoza and Christy Denius. The ECU Health Foundation provided the funding to bring Sam on board. After years of research and collaboration with the ECU Health Foundation, funding was secured and Sam officially joined the team in November 2023. Sam was matched with handlers Ayers and Smith after they were vetted through the organization and the hospital.
Sam now supports pediatric patients, including those in the ICU, offering comfort during procedures, emotional support during difficult moments and motivation for children facing medical challenges.
Sam is the first full-time facility dog at ECU Health. Her care is fully-funded through donations to the Maynard Canine Crew program. With donor support, Sam helps our child life specialists address children’s unique needs, offering emotional support and joy during challenging medical journeys.
Support Maynard Canine Crew here.
The James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital at ECU Health Medical Center was filled with smiles and excitement as CAPTRUST employees, in partnership with the ECU Health Foundation, arrived with bright green boxes packed with fun. These Cheeriodicals care packages were filled with age-appropriate toys, crafts and comfort items, and were hand-delivered to pediatric patients and their families to brighten their hospital stay.
The impact of the delivery extended far beyond the contents of each box. For the CAPTRUST and Cheeriodicals teams, it was an affirmation of the difference collaboration and giving back can make.
“The delivery was more than just a gift,” said Scott Senatore, chief philanthropy officer, ECU Health Foundation. “It was a moment of true joy for children and families navigating some of the hardest moments of their lives, and for two ECU alumni, it was a chance to give back to the community that helped shape them. ECU Health is so grateful to CAPTRUST and Cheeriodicals for their compassion and care for the patients and families we serve.”