enCourage Kids Foundation Kicks Off National Toy Distribution Campaign With NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue

MANHATTAN, N.Y., June 29, 2023 (Newswire.com) - The enCourage Kids Foundation (EKF) launched their national Toy Distribution campaign with one of their long-time partner hospitals, NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, in Manhattan. 

Jean Butler, President & CEO of EKF, was joined by Ambassadors Ryan Field - ABC 7 Sports Anchor, and Tony Richardson - Former NFL Fullback and Northeast Coordinator of NFL Legends Community. The trio and staff at Bellevue put smiles on the faces of pediatric patients as they chose from hundreds of toys such as Barbie and Disney Princess Dolls and playsets, Hot Wheels, Star Wars Starships, Ninja Turtle and Masters of the Universe Action Figures, Little Tykes Big Adventures playsets, Dungeons & Dragons, and more. Furthermore, the patients were able to choose branded clothing donated by Nickelodeon.

"We are grateful to Toys, Tots, Pets and More (TTPM) and Nickelodeon for donating such wonderful children's toys and clothes to our event," said Jean Butler. "The children's excitement was palpable! It is deeply satisfying to know that our programs provide such comfort and joy to hospitalized children and their families."

"Thank you to EKF, Ryan Field, and Tony Richardson for bringing this wonderful toy distribution to the children of our hospital," said William Hicks, CEO, NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue. "Children often need extra support as they face health challenges. We are happy to have partners like EKF to let our youngest patients and their families know that they are not alone."

"We are excited that Ryan Field and Tony Richardson have joined with EKF to bring smiles to our pediatric patients by offering this wonderful toy distribution," said Gloria Mattera, M.Ed., CCLS, Director of Department of Child Life & Developmental Services at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue. "We are grateful for our long partnership with EKF and their funding for music therapy and have supported our clown, teddy bears, comfort kits, and other items that assist Child Life in the work we do with pediatric patients and families."

"TTPM is proud to partner with EKF by providing toys that will brighten the summer for hospitalized children and give them opportunities to play and just be kids," said Bob Glaser EVP/GM of TTPM.

ABOUT ENCOURAGE KIDS     

Since 1985, enCourage Kids Foundation has helped humanize healthcare for children and their families by resourcing impact-driven pediatric programs and supporting the Child Life Community. Serving nearly one million children annually, EKF is focused on making hospitals a better place to get better. Their programs offer relief from the constant burden of treatments, hospital stays, and doctor appointments, while also supporting pediatric facilities to meet the unique needs of their patients. EKF envisions a world where every child regardless of the difficulty of his or her medical journey—experiences joy, hope, resilience, and healing. www.encourage-kids.org.

ABOUT NYC HEALTH + HOSPITALS/BELLEVUE

NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue is America's oldest public hospital, established in 1736. Affiliated with the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, the 844-bed hospital is a major referral center for highly complex cases, with 6,000 employees including highly skilled, interdisciplinary clinical staff. The hospital is a Level 1 Trauma Center and annually it sees about 103,000 emergency room visits, more than 520,000 outpatient visits, and almost 200,000 visits to our COVID-19 testing and vaccine centers. Clinical centers of excellence include Emergency Medicine and Trauma Care; Cardiovascular Services; Bariatric Surgery; Designated Regional Perinatal Center and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (ICU); Children's Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program; and Cancer Services. www.nychealthandhospitals.org/bellevue.

MEDIA CONTACTS                      

enCourage Kids - MJ Pedone - Indra Public Relations - [email protected] 

NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue - Noel Alicea - [email protected] 

Source: enCourage Kids Foundation