MADISON, Wis. — Health care workers at American Family Children’s Hospital are asking the community to donate high-need items since donations have dropped during the pandemic.
Child life specialists work with children, adolescents and families to help them deal with the fear and anxieties that can come with being in a hospital. They often give kids toys, crafts, books and other activities that help kids feel safe and comfortable.
While the hospital isn’t accepting in-person donations, those who want to help have a couple of ways to pitch in.
“We understand the pandemic has been very hard for everyone and we appreciate all the community support we’ve received. We hope people will consider donating to help our patients because it will make a huge impact,” said Julie Auenson, manager of child life services at American Family Children’s Hospital. “The best way to donate is to shop safely online and have the items shipped to UW Health.”
Those looking to donate can access AFCH registries on Amazon’s and Target’s websites. To access the Amazon registry, visit the online registry page, and in the “find a Baby Registry” search bar, type “afch,” then select the corresponding registry. To access the Target registry, visit the online Target registry page, type “afch” into the First Name and Last Name search boxes, then click on the red “View Registry” button to see the list.
Anyone wanting to help can also do so by shopping through Amazon’s Smile Program. Visit the Amazon Smile Program website and select University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics Authoritiy as the charity organization; 0.5% of purchases will then go to support the hospital’s Child Life Department.
The hospital also accepts monetary gifts online.
The following items are currently needed:
- Adult Coloring Books
- Melissa and Doug Reusable Sticker Books
- Diamond Art Kits
- Pop-it fidget toys
- Wet brush 3 packs
- Elmer’s Glue Slime Kits
- Fisher-Price Little People/Toys
- Board Books
- Dinosaurs
- Kinetic Sand
- Craft Kits
- Canvas
- Colored Pencils
- Fisher-Price Musical Toys
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