The teenage demographic in hospitals is sadly overlooked. To fill in this void we began 'Tablets for Teens', a program targeted to bring happiness and healing to teens suffering from long term illness such as cancer, trauma, or chronic illness. We launched this program in 2019 with wonderful success.
By COLlive reporter
Toys for Simcha, a special project of Toys for Hospitalized Children, was launched last month with a visit to the Emek Medical Center in Afula, Israel, the largest hospital in the region.
Volunteers arrived at Emek Medical Center bringing toys and gifts for the young patients as is done with hospitals and medical centers in the New York area.
In what was praised as a “game-changer,” Toys for Simcha presented the hospital with 25 pairs of virtual reality goggles, a head-worn apparatus that completely covers the eyes for an immersive 3D experience.
The VR Goggles, which divert children’s attention away from the discomfort of medical procedures, were welcomed by the medical staff and will be deployed during scheduled treatment.
Toys for Simcha is a special project of Toys for Hospitalized Children, an affiliate of the NCFJE spearheaded by Rabbi Jacob J. Hecht OBM in the 1950s. Toys for Simcha was launched with grants from “The King of Fun,” Mr. Stewart Rahr, Mr. Asher Zamir, and Mr. Abe Podolsky.
For more info, visit ToysforSimcha.org
Today we received a most heartwarming thank you letter from the precious children at Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center! See for yourself.
IN ACTION
Mrs. Goldstein, a volunteer from Ann Arbor Michigan, visited the Motts Children's Hospital and told us the following:
"…a nurse from another floor asked me for a Hello Kitty activity book for one of her patients. Towards the end of our stay, the nurse called our floor and said "the little girl was so happy with her gift that she immediately grabbed the marker and started coloring. Everyone was floored! This girl had injured her right arm and, until then, had not been responding to physical therapy!"
