Balloon festival proceeds to benefit medical program scholarships

Pilots are set to deliver the ultimate get-well balloons to patients, visitors and the surrounding community at Southern Hills Hospital, 9300 W. Sunset Road, when the fifth annual Balloon Festival launches Oct. 23-25.

About 10 hot air balloons are expected to participate each morning with set up beginning at 6 a.m. and launch between 7 and 8 a.m. An evening glow show with grounded balloons is scheduled to light up from 6 to 7 p.m. nightly.

Visitors are welcome out on the launch field during inflation and the glow show. For those who want to step aboard, balloon rides are $250. Tethered rides are set to be offered for $10.

The festival is also expected to include a carnival with games and rides from noon to 11 p.m. Oct. 23 and from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Oct. 24 and 25. A community health fair with flu shots, blood pressure checks and more is slated from noon to 4 p.m. Oct. 24.

Joyce Goedeke, vice president of marketing and public relations of the hospital, said over the years, the festival has benefited a number of causes from deaf children to Las Vegas Search and Rescue. Last year's proceeds and this year's are set to fund scholarships, administered by The Public Education Foundation, for the hospital's High School to Healthcare program.

In addition to the scholarships, High School to Healthcare offers a free after-school program for students in the medical programs at West Career & Technical Academy. Depending on what program students are involved in, they visit the hospital for four to seven weeks listening to classroom presentations from various hospital personnel.

"And then when they're done with these classroom presentations, we take them on observation rounds in small groups, and they actually get to go up on floors with our staff and see what they've been hearing about," Goedeke said.

"And it's self-serving, right? Because we want them to come work for us," said Adam Rudd, the hospital's new CEO. "And we want to get the best and the brightest because that's what you want at the bedside."

While the after-school program is limited to the academy students, the scholarships are open to applications from any student in Nevada.

Rudd said the festival is great for a number of reasons.

"One, it gets a lot of people on campus," he said. "And it benefits some high school folks as they get scholarship money, and how is that a bad idea?"

Goedeke said one of the best things about the festival is that it's a great way to introduce people to the hospital before anyone one gets sick.

"So now the wonderful outcome of that is now they know Southern Hills Hospital, and we're here for them if they ever need it."

Goedeke said it's important to note that hot air balloons can be unpredictable, and everything is dependent on the weather.

"Even if it's a beautiful, sunny, clear day out, if the wind is slightly too strong, the balloons cannot launch," she said. "If the winds pick up throughout the day, the tethered balloons can't go up. The carnival will still go on, the health fair and all our vendors will be here, but hot air ballooning is very weather dependent."

To schedule a ride, visit vegasballoonrides.com or call 702-553-3039. For a full schedule, visit southernhillshospital.com/community/balloon-festival.dot. And for updates, visit facebook.com/southernhillshospital.

— Contact View contributing reporter Ginger Meurer at gmeurer@viewnews.com. Find her on Twitter: @gingermmm.