NEW ORLEANS — It’s the season of giving and one local donor is in the spirit. For the past decade a generous, anonymous donor has given the gift of toys during the holiday season.
“We have a generous donor that gives every year, we’ve been doing it for about 10 years now. They offer both Children’s Hospital and Ochsner Child Life and fill their OT rooms for the kids,” Linda Greenbaum, Owner of Learning Express Toys of Metairie, said.
With the donation, Ochsner Child Life Services and Children’s Hospital of New Orleans are able to go on a shopping spree at Learning Express Toys of Metairie. The toy store also matches a percentage of the donation. Monday, Ochsner specialists were able to fill bags and bags of toys they think the kids will enjoy. Tuesday, the Children’s Hospital of New Orleans specialists will shop for their hospital rooms.
“We love rattles and developmentally appropriate toys for our infants we like building and creative items for our older school-aged kids and really everything in between,” Caroline Handy, a certified child-life specialist at Ochsner said.
Handy says the toys are more than just something that kids can play with. The toys make them more comfortable during their stay.
“The hospital is a really foreign environment so to see the things they see at school or home can make them feel comfortable,” Handy said. “Seeing these kids' faces when they’re at the hospital and they’re withdrawn or quiet and parents are telling us this isn’t how they are at home and you bring in something they recognize like a toy or a game and you just watch them open up and they just light up.”
The kids at Ochsner will have plenty to play with, from dinosaurs and books to puzzles and much more, all thanks to the kindness of a stranger.
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