OPEN HOUSE: RE/MAX of New England Associates visit Barbara Bush Children's Hospital on RE/MAX Day to see what their fundraising efforts have accomplished.

The Dec. 10 "open house," as one NICU nurse described it, included up-close views of the incubators - each with a custom-designed RE/MAX nameplate that reads: "This Miracle Home made possible through the generous support of local RE/MAX agents."

The Giraffe units, which cost $35,000 each, have built-in weighing scales, lamps to treat jaundice and a rotating platform that allows nurses to turn babies 360 degrees so they don't have to remove them from the incubators to gain access.

"We couldn't do this without the basics: loving staff, loving parents, the attention we give them, and the attention the community gives these babies," said Dr. Peter Marrow, Director of Neonatology at Maine Medical Center. "Miracles happen every day. We're in the same business as RE/MAX - providing warmth and shelter."

Hearing touching stories and seeing the tiny newborn diapers and pinkie finger-sized blood-pressure cuffs helped Associates see the importance of their individual contributions to Children's Miracle Network through the Miracle Home Program.

"When I hear about these children, how little they are, and the life-threatening illnesses they're facing, I'm reminded that it's such a great cause," says Kathy Gosselin, a Broker Associate with RE/MAX Realty One, a Miracle Office in York, Maine. "It's moving to see that my contribution can make such a difference in their lives."

Dr. John Bancroft, The George W. Hallett, M.D., Chairman of Pediatrics at Maine Medical Center expressed his gratitude.

"We can't be successful without close community support," Bancroft said. "Every time I see a Miracle Home sign, I see one more way we are knitting a tie with the community."

Copyright © 2008 RE/MAX International Inc. 1/28/08