HOLLYWOOD, FLA. (WSVN) - A truckload of toys made their way to a South Florida children’s hospital, a special delivery that promises to bring smiles to the young patients and take some of the stress out of a hospital visit.
7News cameras on Wednesday captured stuffed animals, dollhouses, play sets and other toys that will be gifted to patients at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood.
The toys are a donation from The Diplomat Resort in Hollywood and Learning Express Toys and Gifts.
“It’s children of all ages, it’s children of all health conditions, and as a result, we have toys of all sizes, shapes, colors and purposes as well to fit that,” said Kyle Simmons, a spokesperson for The Diplomat Resort.
Simmons said about $75,000 to $90,000 worth of toys will be given to children in the hospital.
“That’s difficult to imagine, how many lives this is going to affect. I mean, we’re estimating between 4,000 and 5,000 toys in total, so if each child gets a toy, that’s quite a few children entering through this hospital that will leave with a gift,” he said.
Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital CEO Caitlin Stella said toys are very important to the hospital and are used in many different ways.
“We have toys everywhere. We have them when you’re waiting, we have them when you come for a blood draw, we have them when you come for surgery, before, after,” she said.
She said donations like these help the children feel more at home.
“Donations like these allow us to be able to use the toys in a therapeutic way, to be able to make the experience here not scary and actually kind of fun,” said Stella.
The donations come as the hospital prepares to expand and add four new floors to the building. One of the floors is said to become a play area for all of the children.
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