Providence Swedish, Seattle Sounders FC team up to get kids ready for back-to-school

Providence Swedish and Seattle Sounders FC are committed to the health and well-being of every child in every local community. Watch the short video below to learn more about this dream team's support of the second annual health fair for kids in the Renton Schol District.   

Providence Swedish, Sounders FC and the club’s charitable partner, RAVE Foundation, came together on Aug. 14 and 15 to host the second annual Community Assist: Renton School District Health Fair, providing free health services to local families. 

This year’s event took place at the Providence Swedish Performance Center & Clubhouse – the new state-of-the-art training facility that opened earlier this year in Renton – and offered middle and high-school students within the Renton School District access to free sports physicals administered by Providence Swedish physicians, along with immunizations provided by community partner HealthPoint.

“We fundamentally believe that every child should have the opportunity to realize their fullest potential for well-being – in physical health and mental health. We’re so grateful to be part of this with the Renton School District,” says Arpan Waghway, M.D., CEO or Providence’s Well Being Trust.

^{What a team! Watch this short video to join in the excitement as Providence Swedish and Seattle Sounders FC help get Renton kids ready for back-to-school at a recent health fair. Above, Providence Swedish caregiver-volunteers are all smiles at the event.} 

Hundreds of students and their families were able to access these vital health services just in time for the new school year. In addition to receiving physicals, participants were given tours of the training facility and explored a comprehensive health fair with various community organizations, including Providence's Work2BeWell. 

Attendees were also treated to a special experience, meeting Sounders FC players Alex Roldan and Jackson Ragen, who signed autographs and interacted with the fans.

“One of the things we talked about in the Renton School District is how can we remove barriers and support our kids. And that’s exactly what Providence and the Sounders are doing for the students at the Renton School District,” says Damien Pattenaude, school district superintendent.

“Given the importance of play and athletics, and especially coming out of a pandemic, we’ve seen dropping rates of kids participating in sports. This is just another opportunity to remove those barriers and ensure we can get our kids actively engaged out on the athletic field or in the gym,” he adds. 

About Providence Swedish

Providence Swedish has served the Puget Sound region since the first Providence hospital opened in Seattle in 1877 and the first Swedish hospital opened in 1910. The two organizations affiliated in 2012 and today comprise the largest health care delivery system in Western Washington, with 22,000 caregivers, eight hospitals and 244 clinics throughout Western Washington – from Everett to Centralia. A not-for-profit family of organizations, Providence Swedish provides more than $545 million in community benefit in the Puget Sound region each year. The health system offers a comprehensive range of services and specialty and subspecialty care in a number of clinical areas, including cancer, cardiovascular health, neurosciences, orthopedics, digestive health and women’s and children’s care.