NEWARK, NJ – 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 $90,239 grant to support the Child Life program to help young patients and their families with non-medical treatment and healing through play. This is the twelfth donation from the foundation which has made a huge difference for thousands of CHoNJ patients and has amounted to $729,438 for the CHoNJ Child Life program over the years.
Through the Spirit of Children program, Spirit Halloween normally hosts nearly 100 Halloween parties every year at partner hospitals across North America for children who otherwise wouldn’t be able to participate in Halloween celebrations. This year due to the ongoing pandemic, an in-person party was not possible. Instead Spirit of Children sent Halloween Care Packages for CHoNJ pediatric patients, allowing them to enjoy reverse trick-or-treating and other contactless activities with costumes activities and treat bags.
An in-person check presentation and visit from the team was also not possible and instead the Child Life Team at CHoNJ created a “thank you video” with a special message from Darrell K. Terry, Sr., MHA, MPH, FACHE, President and Chief Executive Officer, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey.
Over the years the funds provide vital support to the Child Life program that includes the addition of Child Life specialists, educational equipment, iPads and distraction toys for use during procedures as well as toys created specifically for physical and developmental limitations.
Since its inception in 2007, Spirit of Children has brought smiles, laughter and a much-needed escape to thousands of pediatric patients in 147 hospitals across the United States and Canada. One hundred percent of the money collected each year is given directly to the Child Life Departments at local partner hospitals, such as Children’s Hospital of New Jersey at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center. Spirit of Children raised over $12 million in 2020, bringing its total collections total to more than $77 million since the program’s inception.
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center is a 665-bed regional care teaching hospital that provides comprehensive health care. Newark Beth Israel is a Top Teaching Hospital and home to one of the nation’s top ten heart transplant centers, RWJBarnabas Health’s Heart Failure Treatment and Transplant Program which has performed more than 1,000 heart transplants; New Jersey’s only Advanced Lung Disease and Transplant Program and a Valve Center that performs complex cardiac valve procedures, including minimally invasive transcatheter aortic valve replacements (TAVRs). The Newark Beth Israel robotic surgery program is the most experienced in northern New Jersey. The Frederick B. Cohen, MD, Cancer and Blood Disorders Center and the new Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey Breast Health Center provide seamless integration of cancer prevention, specialized care and treatment options.
Children’s Hospital of New Jersey (CHoNJ), located at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, cares for children from birth through adolescence, with more than 30 specialized pediatric services including New Jersey’s largest Valerie Fund Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders; and the Children’s Heart Center that offers a complete range of medical and surgical treatments for the most complex cardiac abnormalities.
Children’s Hospital of New Jersey also includes a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and a Level IV Regional Perinatal Center that offers New Jersey’s first Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) therapy; and the highest level of intensive care for both mothers and newborns.
About Spirit of Children: At the heart of Spirit Halloween is the Spirit of Children program which focuses on making hospitals less scary for kids and their families. Since 2007, Spirit of Children has raised $55 million to provide Child Life funding for art, music, aquatic and pet therapy programs as well as the purchase of educational items and toys used for distraction during medical procedures, and much more. 100% of every dollar donated supports the Child Life Department in our 141 partner hospitals across the United States and Canada.
Contact:
Patricia Mitrano
patricia.mitrano@rwjbh.org
(973)-926-7531