Bob Ritz, president of Mercy Medical Center – Des Moines, challenged medical center staff to raise the percentage of people participating in the 2015 Spirit of Mercy Employee Giving Campaign to 35 percent from 24 percent last year. While the employees didn't quite reach the percentage goal, they did raise $890,000 — more than ever before — working with Variety and United Way on the campaign. To put an exclamation point on that generosity, Ritz, third from left, and three others rappel down the side of Mercy Children's Hospital in May, much to the delight of the pediatric patients, their families and employees.
Also making the vertical descent are pediatric cardiologist Dr. Thomas Becker, pediatric cardiac surgery director Dr. David Hockmuth and childhood obesity prevention/outreach coordinator Jolene Vos. The person dressed as Spiderman at the top of the building is an employee of Larry's Window Service in Des Moines, where the rappellers trained prior to the event.
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