Augusta, GA--The Red Wagon Society of the MCGHealth Children’s Medical Center is holding a toy drive during the month of March in order to replenish the books, games and other playthings that make the children’s hospital feel a little more comfortable for its young patients during their stays.
“Pediatric patients don’t always understand why they have to be in the hospital. It can be frightening for them,” said Katie Lawhead, a Child Life Specialist with the MCGHealth Children’s Medical Center. “We want to make sure they are free to have fun and still be kids when they are here. It’s important that we make provisions for play, not only for the younger patients, but for older children and adolescents as well. In some cases we are distracting kids from pain or discomfort, and in others, we may be simply trying to alleviate boredom.”
The region’s only pediatric hospital needs teething toys, rattles, CD players and Baby Einstein DVDs for infants; pop-up toys, play sets, musical and light-up toys and shape sorters for toddlers; Etch-A-Sketch, Play-Doh, action figures and board games for preschoolers; paint-by-numbers sets, Lego sets, card games, dolls and Nerf toys for school-aged children; and handheld electronic games, Discman and Walkman, movie DVDs, journals or diaries, and music CDs for adolescent patients.
A complete donation wish list is available at:
www.mcghealth.org/Childrens_Medical_Center/Giving/child_life_wish/list.html
All donated toys must be brand new, unwrapped and still in the original store packaging to be accepted. Toy drop-off locations have been established at:
• MCGHealth Children’s Medical Center Lobby, Harper Street
• Movieland, North Augusta
• Blockbuster, North Augusta
• Keystone Homes Sales Centers
• All area Regions Bank locations
• All area Georgia Bank & Trust Co. locations
• Goolsby's Restaurant, Evans
• Movie Gallery, Fury's Ferry Road
• The Carpet Shop, Aiken, Belair Road and Wrightsboro Road
• Blockbuster, Washington Road
• Marshall Family Y
• Hollywood Video, Robert C. Daniel Jr. Parkway
• MCG School of Dentistry Lobby, Laney Walker Boulevard
• MCG Alumni Center, 15th Street
• MCG Wellness Center, 15th Street
The Red Wagon Society is a group of individuals who supports the MCGHealth Children’s Medical Center through fund-raising initiatives as well as volunteerism.
MCG Health, Inc. (d/b/a MCGHealth) is a not-for-profit corporation operating the MCGHealth Medical Center, MCGHealth Children’s Medical Center, the Georgia Radiation Therapy Center, and related outpatient facilities and services throughout the state. For more information, please visit mcghealth.org.