Spirit of Children, the philanthropic arm of Spirit Halloween, recently presented Children's Hospital of New Jersey (CHoNJ) at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center with a $127,776.00 grant to support the hospital's Child Life program.
This is the thirteenth annual donation from the Spirit of Children Foundation. In the last 13 years, the foundation has raised $857,214 in support of the Children's Hospital of New Jersey.
"Healing play is an essential element of the experience at Children's Hospital of New Jersey. Our Child Life program offers emotional support and age-appropriate activities to support our young patients in their healing process, and Spirit of Children has demonstrated a true commitment to this type of innovative care," Darrell K. Terry, Sr., President and Chief Executive Officer, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children's Hospital said.
"We are proud of what we have been able to accomplish together."
These funds provide vital support for the Child Life program, which offers children and their families emotional and therapeutic healing tools to enhance medical treatment, including educational equipment, iPads and distraction toys for use during procedures, as well as toys created specifically for physical and developmental limitations.
Their donations have also supported additional Child Life specialists and helped the program expand into the pediatric emergency room at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center.
Beginning in 2020, Spirit of Children created contactless activities that would allow pediatric patients to enjoy Halloween during the pandemic, including reverse trick-or-treating, Halloween Care Packages, and costume activities.