The wonderful relationship between the Ragsdale family and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta goes back many years. In 1957, Mrs. Blake Ragsdale Van Leer served as president of the Auxiliary at The Henrietta Egleston Hospital for Children at Emory University. A tireless volunteer on behalf of Egleston's children, Mrs. Van Leer was responsible for creating the strong volunteer program that exists in the hospital today. In addition to her service on the Auxiliary, Mrs. Van Leer worked as director of volunteers from 1960 until her retirement in 1976.

Mrs. Van Leer researched the genealogical history of the Ragsdale family, including the history in England prior to coming to America. Later, Mrs. June Hart Wester compiled and published the book, Elijah Ragsdale, that is now available on this website and designated that The Henrietta Egleston Hospital for Children should hold the copyright, which later became Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. In honor of the family's generosity, a plaque was placed in the hospital that originally read (it has since been changed):

"The Godfrey Ragsdale Jr. Sustaining Crib Fund has been established by his descendants in honor of Godfrey Ragsdale Jr., 1644-1703, Ricoh County, Virginia, the sole survivor of the Indian massacre on April 18, 1644."

The Ragsdale family's legacy continued over the years as they donated all proceeds from the sale of the book and, later, the CD to Children's. Each year, the family gathers for a reunion and, once again, their generosity is apparent as they collect gifts from all the families to give to the hospital. It is truly a legacy of love! We encourage you to take a moment to learn more about this wonderful hospital for children! Ranked as one of the top ten children's hospitals in the country by Child Magazine, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta cared for over 192,000 children in 2004 and gave away over $73 million dollars in unreimbursed care. This continues the hospital's commitment that no child will be turned away based on the family's ability to pay.

Please visit our website at http://www.choa.org/.

If you would like to make a donation or are interested in learning how to include Children's in your estate plans, you may contact Sue Brandt in the Foundation at 404-785-7346 or at sue.brandt@choa.org.

Copyright (c) 1975 Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Inc. All rights reserved.