Since September 2016 Leesburg Kiwanians have hand-braided and delivered 600 (and counting) fleece blankets to the pediatric ward at Loudoun INOVA Hospital–delivery 300 pictured. What started as 12 each month is now 24 for children staying at the hospital, including those there for MRIs and radiology, emergency room visits, and operations.
INOVA hospital staff lets children who need some added warmth or just some soft, soothing comfort choose a blanket.
According to the staff, these blankets have become very popular with their colorful designs and hand-braided edges. Hospital child life specialists report “many patients hold onto their blankets their entire visit, and it becomes their coping method!” They note the children are thrilled to learn they get to take them home too.
When the club delivered presents to patients just before Christmas in 2018, we met a teenage girl who had received one of our first donated blankets. It remains a prized possession according to her mom.
The pediatric unit therapy dog–Jeremiah–gets monthly deliveries too. At the staff’s request we braid the edge remnants from the fleece into sturdy chew toys. According to a former handler, “he’s in heaven with his rope pull toys! He likes to challenge me every now and again to a game of tug of war and he always wins…of course!” Jeremiah looks forward to blanket deliveries too because his 3 toys have come. If Jeremiah sees us coming to deliver blankets in the hallway, he looks for his toy, and sometimes will take one right then to carry around the hospital.
Therapy Dog Jeremiah enjoying a new chew toy made from remnants of the braided fleece blankets for pediatric patients.
White House Ornaments Going On Sale Our biggest fundraiser of the year is about to begin. Get your 2022 White House Christmas ornaments from us--all proceeds go to service to the community serving children from pre-schoolers through high school students. You'll be hard-pressed to beat our $20 per ornament price, and we deliver free in Loudoun County in late October-early November, in time for the holidays. To order send your name, quantity, and address to leesburgkiwanis@gmail.com. ... See MoreSee Less
Parker's Progress Our club is fortunate to be able to help Parker deal with his complex medical issues. We purchased a balance board and therapy benches, and are helping with his speech, music, and riding therapy--here are a couple photos. His mom said she can see a difference in Parker! Just another example of Kiwanis serving children. ... See MoreSee Less
When Marge Crouch’s newborn needed care at a children’s hospital, she turned to her Kiwanis club to staff an information desk for parents. That led to another project: the Riley Parent Comfort Cart. Those efforts and others earned Marge the Indianapolis Business Journal’s Healthcare Hero award. #KidsNeedKiwanis... See MoreSee Less
The cart, known at Riley as the “convenience store on wheels,” has served since 2006 as a lifeline for inpatients and their families, providing snacks, toiletries and other everyday items free of charge so families of Riley patients can focus on their children.
Thanks for your patience while we addressed the voting situation for the Legacy of Play contest. We've reset the voting, and it's now open for you, your club members and your community to vote. Any votes cast before September 22 will need to be cast again.
Remember, you can vote once every 24 hours, and we've extended the voting period until noon EDT on October 4. Vote now at play.kiwanis.org. ... See MoreSee Less
Fleece Blankets for INOVA Loudoun Hospital
Since September 2016 Leesburg Kiwanians have hand-braided and delivered 600 (and counting) fleece blankets to the pediatric ward at Loudoun INOVA Hospital–delivery 300 pictured. What started as 12 each month is now 24 for children staying at the hospital, including those there for MRIs and radiology, emergency room visits, and operations.
INOVA hospital staff lets children who need some added warmth or just some soft, soothing comfort choose a blanket.
According to the staff, these blankets have become very popular with their colorful designs and hand-braided edges. Hospital child life specialists report “many patients hold onto their blankets their entire visit, and it becomes their coping method!” They note the children are thrilled to learn they get to take them home too.
When the club delivered presents to patients just before Christmas in 2018, we met a teenage girl who had received one of our first donated blankets. It remains a prized possession according to her mom.
The pediatric unit therapy dog–Jeremiah–gets monthly deliveries too. At the staff’s request we braid the edge remnants from the fleece into sturdy chew toys. According to a former handler, “he’s in heaven with his rope pull toys! He likes to challenge me every now and again to a game of tug of war and he always wins…of course!” Jeremiah looks forward to blanket deliveries too because his 3 toys have come. If Jeremiah sees us coming to deliver blankets in the hallway, he looks for his toy, and sometimes will take one right then to carry around the hospital.
Would you like to braid a blanket for your child? Follow these instructions.
Just another example of why #kidsneedKiwanis.
Would you like to donate the cost of a blanket? Donate here.
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White House Ornaments Going On Sale
Our biggest fundraiser of the year is about to begin. Get your 2022 White House Christmas ornaments from us--all proceeds go to service to the community serving children from pre-schoolers through high school students. You'll be hard-pressed to beat our $20 per ornament price, and we deliver free in Loudoun County in late October-early November, in time for the holidays. To order send your name, quantity, and address to leesburgkiwanis@gmail.com. ... See MoreSee Less
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Parker's Progress
Our club is fortunate to be able to help Parker deal with his complex medical issues. We purchased a balance board and therapy benches, and are helping with his speech, music, and riding therapy--here are a couple photos. His mom said she can see a difference in Parker! Just another example of Kiwanis serving children. ... See MoreSee Less
Comment on Facebook
When Marge Crouch’s newborn needed care at a children’s hospital, she turned to her Kiwanis club to staff an information desk for parents. That led to another project: the Riley Parent Comfort Cart. Those efforts and others earned Marge the Indianapolis Business Journal’s Healthcare Hero award. #KidsNeedKiwanis ... See MoreSee Less
2021 Health Care Heroes: Volunteer stocks ‘comfort’ cart for patients’ parents, caregivers - Indianapolis Business Journal
www.ibj.com
The cart, known at Riley as the “convenience store on wheels,” has served since 2006 as a lifeline for inpatients and their families, providing snacks, toiletries and other everyday items free of charge so families of Riley patients can focus on their children.Comment on Facebook
Thanks for your patience while we addressed the voting situation for the Legacy of Play contest. We've reset the voting, and it's now open for you, your club members and your community to vote. Any votes cast before September 22 will need to be cast again.
Remember, you can vote once every 24 hours, and we've extended the voting period until noon EDT on October 4. Vote now at play.kiwanis.org. ... See MoreSee Less
Comment on Facebook
Oh no!