Holiday Wishes Program 2010

For 80 years, Children’s Hospital Foundation has depended on the support of individuals, businesses and other organizations in our community to help us continue our mission of supporting excellence in health care for children.

Thanks to the dedication of our medical community and the ongoing support of donors, Children’s Hospital continues to be able to help each child that passes through our doors accomplish something incredible. Whether it is learning to maneuver a wheelchair, regaining strength after an injury, or successfully eating by mouth for the first time, these accomplishments change the lives of the children we serve.

Holiday Wishes is Children’s Hospital Foundation’s annual holiday campaign, held each year between October and December. Funds raised through Holiday Wishes go to the Children’s Activity Fund, which enables Children’s Hospital of Richmond to provide field trips and other fun and educational activities to the children who live on the hospital’s long-term care unit.

The Transitional Care Unit (TCU) provides long-term care for children with ongoing medical conditions. The TCU focuses on the physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual needs of children and their families, and TCU staff works with each child’s family to coordinate services that promote collaboration, planning and education.

For our inpatient children, who live on our Transitional Care Unit (TCU) and have ongoing health conditions that require long term medical and nursing supervision, clinical accomplishments are only part of the story. We measure our success by the number of new activities and experiences we can provide these medically fragile children.

In addition to weekly field trips and daily art projects, games and other entertainment, the Children’s Activity Fund gives our patients several other special opportunities throughout the year:

Summer Camp

The weeklong Camp W.A.V.E.S. (Wheeling Around Virginia Enjoying Summer) gives TCU residents the chance to enjoy daily morning outings to places like Jamestown Settlement, Mesa Vista Farm, Harrison Lake and Great Wolf Lodge for fun activities including historical tours, therapeutic horseback riding, fishing, gem mining and water activities. At the hospital, Camp W.A.V.E.S. brings a variety of afternoon programs such as crafts, massage therapy, zoo education, puppet performances and more.

Virginia Beach Trip

For many of the children on the TCU, the annual trip to Virginia Beach is an opportunity of a lifetime. Due to their medical conditions, many children have never before had the opportunity to go the beach—an activity that many children and families take for granted. During the day trip, wheelchairs are left on the boardwalk in favor of beach seats and towels. Staff and volunteers assist the children to the shore, where many kids are able to sit in the water, enjoying the sun, sand and surf.

Field trips and activities like these are made possible year-round by the Children’s Activity Fund. Make a secure online donation today by clicking here.