F.W. Webb Company has announced that it has pledged $100,000 to the Boston Children's Hospital through 2022, and established the F.W. Webb Extraordinary Needs Fund for Military and Veteran Families.

There are a large number of military and veteran families who come to Boston Children's Hospital from across the US for care. The company's fund will support any military family that is financially challenged by helping to subsidize rent and utilities due to lost wages, and will also help with food insecurity, gaps in insurance, transportation and parking for medical visits, hotel stays, etc.

"Supporting children in need, our troops and veterans are important causes to us. Many of our customers and F.W. Webb employees have served, or are currently serving, in the US armed forces and many of us also know or have close ties to a child who is fighting a serious illness," said F.W. Webb President Jeff Pope. "It is a privilege to partner with such a prestigious, nationally-recognized hospital to help children who are fighting to get well and give back to those who risk their lives for our country."

For the past seven years, Boston Children's Hospital has been ranked the No. 1 children's hospital in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. Last year, they handled more than 700,000 child visits from around the world, including inpatient, outpatient and emergency department. This volume makes Boston Children's one of the largest pediatric health centers in the world. With 40 specialties, 268 sub-specialty programs, and over 150 outpatient programs and clinics, the hospital has more clinical breadth and depth than any other pediatric hospital. It is also home to the world’s largest pediatric research enterprise, and it is the leading recipient of pediatric research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Families come from every US state and nearly 100 countries for care unavailable anywhere else.

"When being treated for complex and rare diseases, children are sometimes required to stay weeks or months at the hospital. A long-term stay can place incredible stress on a family, from financial hardship of lost income to the logistics of caring for siblings at home. Resources from the Extraordinary Needs Fund, including transportation and food assistance, can make a difference in a child’s recovery as well as lessen the burden overall to the family,' said Michael Bornhorst, associate vice president, Corporate Development, Leadership Giving & Special Events at Boston Children's Hospital Trust.