Give Gifts to Sick Kids Hospital

Giving to Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto is something that my family likes to do year round. This past Labour Day, my daughter hosted a Lemonade Stand to raise money to help the children at the hospital. She is five and I was so grateful that she is already starting to learn how important it is to give back.

The Holidays is a really excellent time of year to give to the Hospital as it is a very difficult time for the children and their families. Every child deserves to have a smile on their face on Christmas Day.

Here are some extra special ways that you could help out:

Sick Kids Get Better Gifts

Holiday Cooking and Baking Supplies

Just like home. Child Life specialists know that maintaining familiar activities helps sick children feel just like any other kid. Your gift can help provide a chance for children to have fun while baking and cooking their favourite treats with family and friends around the holidays. Fun activities like these can help children cope with long hospital stays and feel that special family connection.

Decorations for the Hospital
Some kids won’t go home to enjoy their own little tree or festive lights this holiday season. But you can help us make the holiday season shine bright for them. Your contribution can provide supplies to deck out the rooms and hallways of the hospital, from the huge tree to bedside ornaments. This gift can help spread the joy of the holidays and make a child feel truly special during their stay. Make them feel at home and help lift their spirits even when they’re away from familiar places and faces.

A Stocking Surprise
A child wakes in a bed at SickKids – wondering what might be in store when they spend a holiday in our hospital. They look carefully around the room – hoping to see something special – and realize Santa has come! There is a beautiful red stocking right beside their bed – filled with toys, crayons, teddy bears and more. Can you imagine how special that moment is when a child is spending their holiday at SickKids? You could help fill a special bedside stocking for a child and help make sure holiday magic reaches all our patients.

A Sleeper Chair
Children love to have a story read to them at bedtime. Bedtime stories are something many children never forget. Every child wants their family member or caregiver to stay with them through the night so that there is time for a story. Sleeper chairs let parents and caregivers sleep comfortably, right next to their child throughout the night – so long days in hospital can start and end with someone from home – perhaps reading a magical and beautiful story to their child if you make a special gift today.

A Holiday Meal for a Family
For the rest of the year it’s bedside meals – but the holidays are a time to break the routine! Some of the sickest of patients and their families are here over the holidays and we want to ensure they experience the delights of home we take for granted. Every year we have a special holiday meal – delicious but appropriate cuisine, festive linens, delightful decorations, families sharing the occasion together; a unique experience to relieve the routine of bedside meals and mark this special time of year.

A Wish List Gift
Every child loves to write a wish list – including our patients. It’s a chance for them to dream about a gift that will make their holiday special – and fun! Being in the hospital shouldn’t prevent a child from receiving gifts over the holiday season. If anything, they look forward to a holiday that can take them away from some of their illnesses and treatments, if only for a short time. Hospital staff and parents work together to get the most appropriate item from their precious wish list, so that a child does not miss out because of their illness.

Please consider giving from your hearts this holiday season to the children!