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Over the weekend, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital hosted its annual Spread Joy Toy Drive, in which corporate partners and individuals delivered new, unwrapped toys to help bring extra cheer to patients at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital this holiday season.
With donations still being counted and others arriving directly from Amazon, a total of over $162,000 was raised in toys, gift-in-kind donations and sponsorships, surpassing all previous years. Last year in 2020, more than 24,000 toys were collected for Nicklaus Children’s patients.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has inspired our South Florida community to give more than ever to support hospitalized children,” said Jenny Oquendo, manager of Children’s Experiences at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital. “We’ve been incredibly blessed and continue to see a significant increase of Spread Joy donations over the last two years.”
On Christmas morning, every patient admitted at Nicklaus Children’s will wake up with a gift bag of toys and other goodies tailored to their age range. The remaining toys are used throughout the year for patients and their siblings as birthday presents and prizes, milestone gifts and going-home gifts.
This year’s Spread Joy Toy Drive was presented by Pacin Levine, PA, with support from Amazon, CVS Health, CVS Pharmacy y Más, Delta Air Lines, FedEx, FPL and Navarro Discount Pharmacy. The toy drop-off included a photo opportunity for companies and families, and musical entertainment hosted by Y-100 and Big 105.9. The annual toy drive aims to help patient families who otherwise may not have the means to buy gifts this holiday season.
To learn more, visit www.nicklauschildrens.org/spreadjoy
