Uncategorized Archives - enCourage Kids Foundation

Celebrating Teddy’s Birthday

rbrochard — Fri, 09 Oct 2020 16:50:25 +0000

How We Celebrated Teddy

The hospital can be a scary place, especially for young children. Our enCourage Kids Bear’s cuddles give them a feeling of comfort and safety throughout their hospital stay. Teddy, as we and pediatric patients call him, is a great friend to have, staying by kids’ side through surgeries, doctor visits, IV insertions, tests, and anything else they may experience. During this heightened time of isolation, it is important for children to feel they are not alone, and Teddy is their perfect companion.

Jamie Antrim, a child life assistant at Tucson Medical Center says, “The enCourage Kids Bear program is important because it helps bring comfort to children in the hospital. These bears go a long way in helping a child to cope with feeling unwell and being in a new environment. They are soft, cuddly, and are also fantastic for medical play!”

We see the tremendous impact Teddy makes, not just on pediatric patients, but child life specialists and hospital staff across the country. To bring awareness to our Bear Program and raise funds to send Teddy into the arms of even more children in hospitals nationwide, we celebrated Teddy’s birthday, September 9th, all month long.

Teddy traveled to 19 different hospitals in 17 states during the month of September to spread comfort, joy, and relief. Thanks to the generous support of our enCourage Kids community, we were able to raise funds to send over 350 pediatric patients a cuddly Teddy.

Watch all the places Teddy traveled this month:

Meet Madeline, Teddy’s Best Pal

Madeline, a Certified Child Life Specialist at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, Texas, loves to have Teddy in her toolbox. During Teddy’s birthday month celebration, she took over our social media to share how Teddy helps her pediatric patients prepare for their hospital experience.

“Whenever I have shy patients, Teddy becomes their voice, especially when they are not quite ready to speak but still want answers on what surgery looks like. Through Teddy, we recently used medical play so the patient could help prepare him for his day and learn about all the things they would see before going into surgery. The patient used a surgery prep box to walk Teddy through everything, from the stickers that go on your chest to monitor your heart to the pulse oximeter to the anesthesia mask. The patient was able to see Teddy experience all the things in the hospital they needed to know about. Teddy made them feel so much more comfortable”

We are grateful for our partnerships with child life specialists like Madeline and are proud to send Teddy nationwide to help make hospitals a better place to get better.

You can watch the Instagram story takeover and learn even more about how Teddy helps her patients in the hospital.

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National Professional Social Work Month

rbrochard — Sun, 29 Mar 2020 16:27:13 +0000

Our Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships, Erica Sandoval, LMSW, wrote the below post for National Professional Social Work Month.

What is social work? I constantly get that question and not many understand what we do. Social workers are professionals that graduate with a Master of Social Work degree from an accredited School of Social Work. Social Workers must follow the Code of Ethics that have as their Preamble core professional values. We are advocates, mental health providers, educators, policymakers, executives, leaders, social activists, and medical professionals, but most importantly we carry resilience and hope in our pocket.

I am proud to be one of the three social workers in my family, and all three sisters work in different areas. Jennifer is a clinical therapist at a mental health clinic and a hospital social worker at NYPH Queens. Jackie is a Case Manager at UVM in Vermont. I am proud and humbled to be part of the enCourage Kids team as Sr. Director of Strategic Partnerships. Social Workers hold many different positions and maintain a critical role in hospitals. Medical Social Workers help patients and their families cope with the emotional and social responses to illness and treatment. They also educate patients and their families on entitlements, community resources, and health insurance coverage. Most importantly they are the glue of the medical team in that they handle all aspects of bio-psychosocial/spiritual discharge planning supports for the patient and their family. Along with resilience and hope, Social Workers empower!

March is National Professional Social Work Month. As we approach the final days of the month, we honor our Social Workers and healthcare heroes on the frontlines. Amongst our doctors, nurses, pharmacists, scientists, and paramedics, social workers continue to show up and support our most vulnerable communities. They care for the most in need during this pandemic and provide resources to support and empower other individuals, families, neighborhoods, cities, and organizations as we work through this challenging time. Social Workers are heroes!

We have received some pictures from our medical partners.

From left to right: Nadia Veras, LCSW, Alexandra Elia, LMSW, Lisa Hamilton, LCSW, Raydale Blaylock, and Denise Velazuquez, LCSW. They are pediatric social workers at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

Karen Turi, LCSW, is in the front and Candida Leon, LCSW is in the back

Jennifer Sandoval, LMSW, at NewYork-Presbyterian Queens.

Jackie Sandoval, LMSW, Case Manager at UVM in Vermont, and Erica Sandoval, LMSW, is Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships at enCourage Kids Foundation.

To learn more about social work, go to:

https://www.socialworkers.org/

http://www.helpstartshere.org/

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Summer Series #6: Technology sparks joy

rbrochard — Fri, 16 Aug 2019 15:03:33 +0000

Technology & Joy

The hospital can be filled with scary unknowns for children, including sounds, smells, feelings, and faces. However, at Flushing Hospital Medical Center there is one face that the children grow to recognize: Rashmi Momaya. Rashmi is the only Child Life Specialist at Flushing Hospital Medical Center and has dedicated her work to helping alleviate the stress that accompanies a hospital visit. In 2008, enCourage Kids Foundation funded the hospital’s first Child Life Program and we have been an important partner in their work ever since. Recently, we funded a VECTA Deluxe Mobile Sensory Station. The VECTA machine is a transportable station that has a CD player, a projector, fiber optic cables for tactile touch, aromatherapy, and an interactive bubble column in which the speed of the bubbles and the color of the column can be controlled by the patient.

The VECTA machine creates a way for Rashmi to use non-pharmaceutical methods that help her patients cope with their anxiety and fear during painful procedures, such as blood draws, IV placements, drain removals, dressing changes, and lumbar punctures. This interactive machine provides hospitalized children and their families with choices, distraction, and a sense of control.

Since Flushing Hospital only has a one-person Child Life program, the VECTA machine is an instrumental tool, allowing Rashmi to constantly move between the Pediatric Floor and Pediatric Emergency Room to help even more children experience a comfortable and more positive hospital visit.

Child Life Spotlight: Teddy Bear Clinics

Child Life Specialists will often use Teddy Bear Clinics as a way to show children exactly what is going on during certain procedures, like an IV needle insertion, taking a child’s blood pressure, or wrapping a bandage or cast over an injury. enCourage Kids’ Teddy recently made it big time on the local news in Rockton, IL for his help during a Teddy Bear Clinic at Mercyhealth’s Javon Bea Hospital. This clinic was put on during their Children Health and Safety Event, preparing children and families on how to stay safe over the summer.

WATCH THE NEWS FEATURE

National Nonprofit Day

Saturday, August 17th is National Nonprofit Day! To celebrate we asked some members of our enCourage Kids community to reflect on their passion for our mission and why they love EKF. Click on each of the names below to see what they have to say.

Angelae Wilkerson, Volunteer

“From the amazing, wonderful staff to the volunteers, to the children and their families, of course. It fills my heart with pure and utter joy and happiness. Helping one another and our community is what makes the world go round, isn’t it? And the EKF does an amazing, absolutely amazing, job of making each and every child and their family feel special…as they are. It is my pleasure and my honor to be a volunteer with the enCourage Kids Foundation. I enjoy the look on the faces of the children and families. It is priceless and is one of the most meaningful and rewarding experiences in my life.

Every moment is a treasure and a favorite, but camping at Camp Pontiac. Seeing the families’ faces and witnessing them enjoying every moment, I can’t stop smiling and it means so much to me to be even a little part of helping make that happen. I appreciate every moment of this opportunity and every moment with the families as Life is a gift. I cherish it and take pride in being a volunteer with EKF.”

Joseph Wessely, Board Chair

From the moment I experienced the kids of enCourage Kids I was “hooked”! Seeing our kids and their families at Camp Pontiac and the many other events over the past 30 years has only served to strengthen my commitment to them and the goals of enCourage Kids. EKF has a special place as we humanize healthcare for children and their families.

It is a privilege to be a part of such a meaningful organization with the best staff in the non-profit world as well as our special relationship with the Child Life community.

Alexa Kreisberg, Child Life Specialist at The Brooklyn Hospital Center

“enCourage Kids is amazing! The organization does everything they can to provide fun, laughter and support while children are in the hospital. The staff is a pleasure to work with and you can tell they love what they do.”

Marisa DeFilippis, Volunteer

“One of the greatest joys in my life is being a part of the EKF team, once as an intern and now as a volunteer. Over the past 10 years I have been able to develop lasting bonds with staff and volunteers over our true belief in the services EKF provides and our shared love of the EKF families. One of my favorite memories is the annual summer trip to Camp Pontiac. From making smores at the big bonfire or a pick up basketball game, it truly is a weekend where everyone can get away from some of the scary realities of life with a child with a serious illness and just be kids!”

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Summer Series #4: The Joy of Facility Dogs

rbrochard — Thu, 01 Aug 2019 22:00:49 +0000

Meet Kimono and Vente

After listening to members of the Child Life Community and receiving our first grant request for pet therapy, we are happy to welcome Kimono and Vente into the enCourage Kids family. They are the resident facility dogs at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in San Francisco.

Facility dogs provide opportunities for happy, memorable moments during what can be a challenging time for pediatric patients and their families. Dogs are often used to lift spirits, lessen depression, provide comfort, and increase socialization for children. During a visit from a facility dog, patients can break from their hospital routine to experience moments that allow them to disconnect from their sickness and feel secure and hopeful. That’s why, when a child recovers and is discharged, we often see faster recovery rates in children who live with a dog or other therapy animal in their household. Those who don’t have a dog but would like one to aid their child’s recovery can quite easily find a suitable breed – they just need to be gentle and loving. One breed that often makes a good therapy dog is a cockapoo. Spaniels are well-known for their adoring nature, whilst poodles shed no hair, making them perfect for children with respiratory problems. You can find your Cockapoo here, or alternatively, you can look at some other breeds such as labradors and retrievers that also make brilliant companions.

Facility dogs also help children to better cope with their treatment. Eileen McCree, a Child Life Specialist at UCSF Benioff and Kimono’s handler shares that, “Kimono can have a huge impact on a patient’s recovery. She encourages difficult physical therapy, making it fun and providing a little extra comfort just when it’s needed most. For many of my patients, seeing Kimono is the bright spot in their day of treatment.” Additionally, hospital partners share that having facility dogs present before scary procedures can lower anxiety and distract pediatric patients from their pain.

Snuggling with a facility dog provides children with unconditional love, and for many kids, visits with the dogs become the happiest part of the day. They are the perfect distraction and antidote for discomfort and isolation, and are always there to lend a helping paw when things get tough.

Child Life Spotlight

Meet our Director of Development

We are so excited to have Jonathan Ettinger on board as our new Director of Development. Jonathan will be responsible for developing and implementing donor cultivation strategies to grow the organization’s Chairman’s Circle and increase support and engagement through both event and non-event revenue. He is looking forward to working with our Board of Directors, dedicated volunteers, and committed staff.

Learn more about Jonathan

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Summer Series #2: Healing is in the Music

rbrochard — Mon, 22 Jul 2019 22:49:14 +0000

Music Therapy

For many children, music is an important part of the healing process. Therefore, it’s no surprise that music therapy is one of our most funded projects in hospitals around the country. As a powerful tool, music therapy is clinically proven to improve cognitive function, motor skills, emotional and affective development, behavior and social skills, and quality of life of pediatric patients.

Music therapy can take form in a variety of ways based on the needs of the child, and typically involves music therapists working either with one patient at a time or in group sessions. The treatment can often include a patient listening to or moving to music. In these instances, music therapists play instruments and sing at the patients’ bedsides as well as create recordings that can be played for children in isolation and babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. As a creative outlet that provides distraction and gives children a means of expressing their emotions, music therapy also enables pediatric patients to create music with instruments or sing to music.

enCourage Kids has proudly funded the Music Therapy Program at Blythedale Children’s Hospital since 2013, making it an integral part of their Child Life Program. For patients in their Traumatic Brain Injury Unit, one of the largest populations served by this program, therapy sessions are highly effective. They induce relaxation, provide sensory stimulation, decrease pain, promote self-expression, and increase a sense of control and empowerment. Additionally, music therapy has proven its ability to decrease stress hormones, stabilize heart rates, and stimulate brain activity and recovery, even when patients are in vegetative or minimally conscious states.

Music therapy is an important part of the hospital healing experience and is vital to promoting health and reaching the social, emotional, physical, and cognitive goals of pediatric patients.

Child Life Spotlight

The hospital is a scary place, especially for children. Whether they come for a scheduled procedure or emergency visit, it is up to the Child Life Specialists to make them feel as comfortable as possible. Using kid-friendly language to replace “doctor lingo” is one of the many ways they can accomplish this. We are proud to partner with 280 pediatric facilities and their Child Life Departments across the country to make hospitals a better place to get better.

Annual Pediatric Health and Safety Fair at Elmhurst Hospital in Queens

On Thursday, June 2nd, Elmhurst Hospital hosted their Annual Pediatric Health and Safety Fair. enCourage Kids was proud to provide an entertainer from Playdate Puppets for the fair, giving kids and their families a chance to take a break for some laughter and jokes. Along with his entertainment, Ronny the Puppeteer also tied in lessons about friendship and kindness.

Two of our staff also attended to support Elmhurst at the fair and share about the enCourage Kids mission with the community.

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