The region’s Ford dealers want to lend a paw — actually many paws — to help WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital promote its toy drive on Sunday.
The Teddy Bear Truck, a very special Ford F-150, arrived at WVU Medicine Children’s on Friday to deliver dozens of teddy bears for the facility’s young patients.
The effort was part of the Child Life Program’s 2023 annual Community Toy Drive. The Child Life Program at WVU Medicine Children’s helps children and adolescents cope with the stress and uncertainty of illness, injury, disability and hospitalization.
The WVU Medicine Children’s Teddy Bear Truck is part of the charity outreach by the region’s 77 Neighborhood Ford Store dealers. The types of teddy bears little patients receive at WVU Medicine Children’s also includes Cardiac Bear, a very special bear who helps children recover from abdominal surgery.
The Teddy Bear Truck makes its annual trip from Jim Robinson Ford dealership in Triadelphia to Morgantown to help kick off WVU Children’s holiday toy drive, which is set from noon-3 p.m. Sunday at the Morgantown Marriott at Waterfront Place. All toy donations should be new, small-to-medium in size and valued at $50 or less.
Donations for patients of all ages are needed — from newborns up to age 18.
“We are honored to support WVU Medicine Children’s Child Life Program,” said Joseph Thurby, Neighborhood Ford Store’s chairman. “It was heart-warming recently to see the children along a holiday parade route in Wheeling when the Teddy Bear Truck passed by. The children loved seeing the teddy bears, but were very happy when they found out the bears would soon be on their way to WVU Medicine Children’s. That’s true holiday spirit.”
While the holidays are a popular time to donate to WVU Medicine Children’s, this weekend’s donations will help all year round to bring joy to patients. This season, donations will be used as part of the Hospital’s “Santa’s Workshop,” which helps parents and guardians shop for their children while they are staying at the hospital.
AWVU Medicine Children’s Surgeon-in-Chief Dr. Federico G. Seifarth said the hospital couldn’t exist without the community that surrounds it.
“As a children’s hospital we are part of the community and we need the community’s help,” he said. “So we encourage the community to support the toy drive. For everyone who has donated, thank you so much. For those of you who are thinking about it, please do. We appreciate you and could not provide such a high quality of care and positive experience for our patients without you.”
A few things to remember, if you would like to participate in the toy drive, from WVU Medicine Children’s:
