When their daughter Lena celebrated her first birthday, the Kennedy family from Lionville began a tradition at Chester County Hospital that keeps on giving to this day, writes Katherine Scott for 6ABC.

Lena was born 12 weeks early and had to spend 75 days in the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. At the time, a friend gave her mother Rina a Wawa gift certificate, which proved invaluable when she almost ran out of gas on her way to the hospital.

To help other families in a similar situation, the family decided to ask for gift certificates to Wawa and Giant instead of gifts for Lena’s birthday. They raised more than $3,000 in gift certificates, which were donated to families in the NICU.

Now, the family has found out that year after year, other families that have received gift certificates have continued to pay it forward. In fact, the NICU has never run out of gift certificates.

“Such a selfless act of kindness has influenced and made a difference in hundreds of parents’ lives,” said Susan Cacciavillano, Clinical Manager of NICU and Pediatrics.

Read more about Chester County Hospital at 6ABC here.
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