Halloween Fun at Children’s Specialized Hospital: A tradition!

Halloween at Children’s Specialized Hospital is truly our biggest holiday of the year. Each of our sites celebrates the holiday in a different way.

For example, our Children’s Specialized team in Toms River takes the children (weather permitting) to a community across the street to trick-or-treat. In both Mountainside and New Brunswick, the children are taken through the hospital to trick-or-treat with the staff.

These efforts take a HUGE amount of work soliciting costumes for all the kids, matching the costumes with the right child, getting each child dressed, and then of course the trick-or-treating. So many wonderful things come together during Halloween; employees coming together to add fun and joy to the lives of children, involving volunteers in the activities, and of course the fun of the costumes. 

We never forget to have FUN at work on Halloween as our staff dresses up each year. Some departments dress up together – I’ve seen minions, the Wizard of Oz, superheroes, fairies, and a few years ago Trish West-Low even dressed up as me! It was hysterical! 

So as we gear up for this holiday, I want to thank you for all you do each and every day for our kids. I look forward to seeing all of the children in their costumes (and yours too of course)!

Please be sure to share your pictures to Megan Muller (memuller@childrens-specialized.org) and we will compile them to share internally and on social media.

This was my FIRST Halloween at Children's Specialized!

Happy Halloween!

It's The Most Wonderful Time at Children's Specialized

So it is not news that I am often brought to tears by our kids’ accomplishments and your amazing compassion. For whatever reason, at the CSH events this year, the random acts of kindness have just been overwhelming to me and yes brought me to tears of joy.

I would like to share some of the examples that I have had a chance to observe, or learn about, and would ask you to add any that you might know about. 

As Nicole Fulmino and I watched our CMN Champion, Michael Wight, walk to the WOBM Radiothon without his walker and holding his mother's hand for love, not support, I was overwhelmed at how much progress he has made from his original time in Mountainside in 2007.

Watching the nursing and therapy staff in New Brunswick making sure each child has the perfect picture with Santa and Mrs. Claus, even those children with no family members with them, the staff stepped in to make sure they knew they were loved and supported.

Carol Spera, (PCT NB), asked one of our PSEG volunteers if she could borrow her elf hat so our inpatient who is recovering from a TBI would have his head covered for his picture with Santa

The mom who told her story about walking into the Quick Peak session at the Newark Library and without an appointment, Amy Norton (Autism Program) found a way to make it all work out and then led Mom through her journey of accepting her son's diagnosis of Autism. The connection she felt to Amy and all of the staff about the support you gave her family was evident.

A day of volunteering turned into a day of work for Phil Corletta (Facilities TR) and his son when the snow starting coming down during the Holiday Express concert at Stevens Road.

Knowing that all of the Recreation Therapy and Child Life staff ensures that our children have all the gifts they need for the holidays - specific to each child, even though none of their own personal shopping is done.

Or in Mountainside when the Holiday Express dedicated the new Lady Antebellum song Compass to the staff - there is one line in the song that says "No matter where, you so let your heart sweetheart be your compass when you're lost, And you should follow it wherever it may go, When it's all said and done you can walk instead of run, 'Cause no matter what you'll never be alone, Never be alone, Never be alone

So what about you? Has there been something particularly poignant that you would like to share? Or something fun that brought laughter?

Please know that we are so thankful for all you to do make the holiday season so special for our kids.

Amy

Gifts – Good, Bad, Hilarious!

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a joyous holiday with their family and loved ones.

One of my friends got a new Ipad for her birthday and she is totally enthralled with all of the things it does. She told me about an "app" that she called "Shazam" that will match the music that is playing and tell her what it is. Think of how many times we have heard a new song, or even an old song that we hadn't thought of for years, and you want to find it but can’t remember the name. This technology gets you the song just by listening to it and will allow you to buy it on Itunes immediately.

So it started me thinking, let’s have a little fun surrounding the holiday season and talk about some of the great or funny gifts we each received this year. Did you get a really great gift over the holiday - new technology or something that makes you smile? Or something that made this holiday extra special?

My cousin gave me "dysfunctional family bingo" - haven't opened it but it did make me laugh. I’ve also heard of families passing around the same gag gift every holiday – is this part of your family’s tradition? If so, what do you pass around?

What about that present that just made you go, “Hu?” You know, when Aunt Nancy gives you a lovely baby sweater, but you don’t have any kids. Or Uncle Charlie gives your 9 year old son a pair of pink bunny slippers?

Let’s have a few laughs and enjoy our gifts a little longer by sharing our stories.

Unsung Heroes

I am constantly amazed at how so many of you extend yourself beyond the call of duty to serve our kids. The hours that are put in, sometimes outside of work, helping our kids achieve new heights is greatly appreciated. In addition, there are certain times of year when specific departments are asked to go above and beyond their normal work routine. Remember, there are the behind the scenes staff work very hard just to “make the trains run on time” that you never even think about. I thought I would share a couple of examples but then ask you to share a shout out to those you may want to acknowledge for their hard work; or someone who you may need a pat on the back during this stressful season.

Beth Upham, Volunteer Director, stopped me to tell me about the great job the Facilities team has been doing to support our kids. We are getting daily drop offs of gifts and toys that need to be delivered to our storage unit. This is in addition to all the other things that they have to do on a daily basis. Or there are outside groups, sometimes two a day, that want to come and do crafts or some type of volunteer work. Not only does this require the help of Facilities, but Environmental Services and Dietary have to do all of their normal work, but then are asked to do set up and break down for the special visitors!

For all of these special events Physicians, Nursing, CNA's, Therapists, Therapy Aides, Pharmacists, Pharmacy techs, and Respiratory teams have to reorganize the treatments and care of our patients around these activities. And then of course the huge amount of work done by Child Life and Recreation Departments organizing all of the gifts and toy requests and working with the Volunteer Department to make sure every one has what they want or need for the holiday. See everyone has their hand in this holiday madness, yet everything gets done. We all know how much efforts our parents, well mothers, put into make our own holidays such a special time and that special effort easily transfers to making sure our patients are able to make special holiday memories.

One of our Operators recently and reminded me of how important the work they do is and how busy they are directing people to the right location in the hospital to have their needs met. I often think about the folks in Billing who don’t get to see the kids on a regular basis and everyday is filled with either fighting with insurance companies or having angry parents call them about their bills.

All of this work we do is so important. We are very fortunate to work with excellent Doctor's Therapists, Nurses, Respiratory Therapists, Pharmacists, Social Workers and all who support them to make sure our kids have the best possible outcomes. And we see those results in our excellent quality scores and in the children's success as they continue to progress with their lives.

Having said all of this, I am reminded of my talk during orientation about Teamwork. No one person in this organization can be successful at CSH alone. It takes all of us working together to make sure the children we have the honor to care for get all that they need to reach their maximum potential.

So, is there someone that you would like to give a shout out to; or a story that you would like to share about the kindness of your colleagues?

True Spirit of the Season

Well my last few wraps up had to move to twice a week to accommodate all of the amazing things that you did for the people in the community and then the things that people did for us. I have another wrap up to fill with more things that were done Christmas and through our terrible snow storm but I thought it would be fun to ask you to share your favorite holiday story at the hospital. It can be something you participated in, something you saw given, or just something you want to share.

There were so many to choose from but for me it was Christmas eve when Lori Velasco and her family brought dinner for the inpatients in New Brunswick. Lori had already told me that she had made a promise when her son was in the hospital over Christmas, she promised herself that she would come back and help patients and parents through the holiday. Her family brought in all the food and then she introduced to her family friends. These weren't people who were related, but really close friends. When I thanked them for joining the Velasco's, this particular Mom said to me, “we sat on the other side of the bed praying for a miracle following the accident. Our prayers were answered and now there is no place we should be on Christmas eve.”

Of course I was fighting back tears. I get it. I am the one who tells everyone I can that you guys create miracles, but to hear it from someone who had been a visitor and supporter in the Velasco's journey reminded me of the amazing impact we have on people's lives.

So what is the story you would like to share? It can be silly or serious. Thanks in advance for sharing!

Yes Virginia...

Usually I’m very festive. My tree goes up right after Thanksgiving, I’m done holiday shopping weeks before Christmas, indulging in yummy holiday treats, smiling at little kids waiting in line to meet Santa – you know, the fun stuff!

So, for the first time ever in my life, I am not feeling the holiday. It’s probably a combination of personal and work. I don't want to do a tree - I just don't wanna...and then it happened as it always happens at Children's Specialized, I am reminded of the kindness and generosity that is extended by staff and strangers to our children and our hospital.

Remember the holiday cookie baking fun at Stevens Road? I think our staff deserves a medal for bringing out the sprinkles and cookie cutters, all to help bring a little holiday fun into therapy. That’s the spirit!

Just this morning, Vieno shared with me a wonderful story of holiday cheer.

With the holidays just around the corner, our staff in New Brunswick was getting a little worried because holiday donations had seriously dropped off from years past. Our annual holiday party for inpatients is just a few weeks away and staff was getting a little worried we wouldn’t have enough gifts for everyone! Just in the nick of time, we get a call from Diane Bonanno's office at Rutgers Recreation. The seventh annual Big Chill 5K is on Saturday, Dec.12 and instead of paying a fee, entrants are asked to bring an unwrapped toy for children in need across the garden state. With nearly 5,000 people signed up – we’re sure our patients, and many lucky kids around the state, will have a wonderful holiday with presents to spare. Since its inception, the race has provided over 20,000 presents to several NJ charities including the NJ Housing Authority and now PSE&G Children’s Specialized Hospital – New Brunswick. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Clause… and he’s running through New Brunswick on Saturday!

As expected, our staff and generous supporters have given me a dose of holiday spirit.

What is your favorite holiday memory or tradition? Here at Children’s or even at home with your family? What really gets you in the mood to break out the tinsel and eggnog?

Amy