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Archive for Fundraising, Grants and Giving
“Thanks to a grant, our emergency waiting room features two Touch2Play Pro game systems. We are getting great feedback from our patients and staff!”
Ashley B., CHRISTUS St. Elizabeth Emergency Room, Beaumont, Texas
Child Life Specialists, like Ashley B., know how important a positive experience can be for any patient while in the hospital or at a medical facility, and she couldn’t wait to share her recent hands-on adventure with our DMA4Families team.
Kidzpace gaming systems recently installed at CHRISTUS St. Elizabeth Emergency Room in Beaumont, Texas with custom donor screens featuring Child’s Play
Here’s what happened: the staff at CHRISTUS St. Elizabeth in Southeast Texas was certain our Kidzpace games would make a difference for children as they waited in the emergency room there. But her department didn’t have the money budgeted to purchase the games. The organization Child’s Play stepped up to secure the funding, and through a grant to the hospital, the games are now in place. “This awesome setup features dozens of pre-loaded touch screen games that are keeping kids occupied while they wait,” Ashley says.
Play, and in particular playing games, can elevate any patient’s experience, but especially children who are waiting for an appointment, preparing for treatment, or working through the recovery process. Stress and worry are common emotions, and many facilities are now going to great lengths to make everyone feel welcome, and at ease. Providing opportunities for play can create a positive, overall image of the hospital for its patients, families, and community. As a volunteer services coordinator with the VA Hospital in Martinsburg, West Virginia told us, “All three Touch2Play games are working fine, and the patients love them. In fact, the Recreational Therapist I talked to called the games the best donation ever!”
How Fundraising Can Work for You
Healthcare foundations, and development professionals, typically play the key role in ensuring hospitals find a way to strengthen the important connections between patients and providers. And there are many ways DMA4Families works with donors and healthcare facilities to secure funding. Our most common types of fundraising efforts include:
- Hospital Development Department Campaigns
- Donations from Local Businesses and Benevolent Organizations
- Grant Applications through Foundations and Philanthropic Organizations
- Employee Giving Campaigns
- Individual, Families, and Grateful Patient Gifts
How We Can Help You
DMA4Families can offer expert advice on your gaming product placement, along with integration into your new, renovated, or current space. To help you communicate the benefits of providing some much needed fun, we also supply:
- Presentation materials. Information to share with prospective donors and for use at budget and planning meetings.
- Fundraising literature. This includes images and product information for placement in flyers, posters, in-house newsletters, and wish lists. It is an easy way to help others learn about the benefits of our gaming systems for your patients, families, and staff.
- Kidzpace systems for trial purposes. We can ship a gaming system to you showcasing it at fundraising events or galas, depending on the particulars, or for some hands-on fun to help build excitement to support your efforts.
- Press releases. We can help create the content for your press release, newspaper article, newsletter, or any other items to get the word out into the public about raising funds for a game system meant to deliver some much-needed fun, and a release from anxiety for patients, and their families.
And to help draw special attention to the generosity of your donors, we can customize the main screen of the Touch2Play models, and create special signs above any Carousel or Triangle. It’s a colorful, vibrant way of saying “thank you,” and recognizing worthy philanthropic efforts.
Meantime, Ashley considers the entire process worth it, and says, “The Touch2Play Pros are such a great resource for our patients, and their families.” She is seeing visitors enjoying the gaming experience while spending time in waiting or treatment areas, family lounges or lobbies. And the hospital has a visible way of providing a better experience for its visitors. Her department’s fundraising supporters now understand, and are connecting with the fact, the games are making a difference for many people, each and everyday.
Learn more about our Kidzpace Touch2Play, and our many other play options, here.
Example of a custom donor screen featuring a foundation
Example of a custom donor screen featuring employee-giving
Click here to download a PDF for printing
Why would anyone leave the house with wild and outrageous hair? To raise money to purchase items for children with cancer, such as a video game cart, of course!
Eight years ago, when a little girl named Meghan was three-years-old, she was diagnosed with a rare cancer that affects the kidneys, called Wilms’ tumor. To support Meghan, her uncle, Joe Bartell of Boston, MA, decided to organize an event to raise awareness for Wilms’ tumor. Since beating the cancer six years ago and still cancer free Meghan is doing well and just recently finished her first season playing softball with her team.
The Wiggos 4 Kiddos team was formed six years ago after Meghan was declared cancer free, to continue the fundraising efforts to raise awareness and money for other children fighting cancer. The team is comprised Bob Varnum, Jack McCarthy, Heather Croke, Joe Bartell and Grant LeSueur all who volunteer their time, energy and resources.
While their cause is serious, their fundraising efforts are humorous and entertaining, and you’re sure to have a great time at their events.
Especially because you’ll encounter hundreds of kids and adults donning colorful and fun wigs, dressing in colorful Mexican attire and sombreros and dancing to mariachi bands!
Their biggest event, Wigo de Mayo (think Cinco de Mayo celebration), has enabled them to raise thousands for the benefit of children and for Boston Children’s Hospital. Last year, their efforts collected $7,300, a portion of which was used for a Kidzpace Xbox 360 game system on a bedside mobile cart that they graciously donated to Boston Children’s Hospital.
The game has been such a hit; Wiggos 4 Kiddos planned the 6th Annual Wigo de Mayo Fiesta Fundraiser event this past May to raise money for another! Their efforts and hard work enable patients and their families to take a little time to relax and have some fun while in the hospital.
The Wiggos 4 Kiddos team (L-R): Bob Varnum, Jack McCarthy, Heather Croke, Joe Bartell and Grant LeSueur
This year, they also started Duckos 4 Kiddos, a program that allows people to sponsor and purchase a stuffed plush Chemo Duck for a “Kiddo.” As they grow, Wiggos 4 Kiddos plans to expand their efforts by organizing more events around the country, including New York and Portland, Oregon.
Stories like Meghan’s and the Wiggos 4 Kiddos Team warm our hearts. We want to thank them for all their hard work.
If you’re interested in donating or learning more about Wiggos, please write to:
Email: wiggos4kiddos@gmail.com
Or
“Wiggos 4 Kiddos”
73 Ratchford Street
Quincy, MA 02169
Check them out on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Wiggos4Kiddos.
Click here to download a PDF for printing.
In the coming new world of healthcare delivery, economics and politics are grabbing most of the headlines. However, hospitals and clinics still must focus on a couple of other important bottom lines, medical outcomes and patient satisfaction.
Regardless of how much money is spent, or where it comes from, the patient experience should always be a matter of interest and concern to healthcare providers. Every facility, large or small, public or private, must create a positive, overall image to its patients and their families.
With all the changes underway, there is an increased potential for disconnect between a healthcare facility and its patients, and also between a healthcare facility and the community in which it resides.
Questions to ask: How welcoming is the facility? How well are the needs of visitors being met? How does a facility fit into the fabric of its community?
What this means for you:
Healthcare foundations, along with development professionals, often play a key role to ensure that healthcare facilities maintain and strengthen that important connection between providers and their patients. While the foundations often implement large, capital campaigns for brick and mortar expansions, there is concern with how the final product is actually delivered to and used by the healthcare consumer.
What are we doing to help you:
The products and services delivered by DMA4Families are important finishing touches that make a very real difference for patients and families. I work diligently with foundations and development workers to help ensure there is funding available to provide the visible and tangible differences that patients and families notice and appreciate.
For many years, DMA4Families have been a part of the philanthropy community. We keep the communications lines wide open so that everyone is familiar with myself and DMA4Families, and understands how we can assist them in their fundraising efforts. We works hard to advertise and market, and for almost 20 years, we have attended conferences and conventions to meet with as many people as possible. The relationships created and personal interaction is a key element in creating opportunities, and our expertise is a valuable tool in planning for the purchase and use of our products.
We are happy to provide any of the following:
- Advice on product placement and integration into new, renovated or current spaces.
- Presentation materials for you to share with prospective donors or at budget and staff meetings.
- Fundraising literature, such as images and product information for placement in flyers, posters, in-house newsletters and wish lists so that others can also learn about the benefits to your patients, families and staff.
- Kidzpace systems for trial purposes: In some situations, we will ship you a sample Kidzpace system for hands-on fun, and to help build excitement for fundraising efforts.
- Custom screens for donor recognition on the Touch2Play game system.
- Press releases: We can help create newsletter and newspaper articles, press releases and other items to publicly express your gratitude to donors.
Download our fundraising ideas document here.