News and Notes from The Johnson Center
Care Kits for Kids Toy Drive a Great Success
JCCHD | Wed, May 09, 2012 | [Community][Events]
In the spring of 2012 the “Care Kits for Kids” Toy Drive was launched to support the children served by The Johnson Center for Child Health and Development. New toys, books, and games were collected to be used by families visiting the office, children in therapy, and families staying at the Wydham Garden Hotel. (The Johnson Center has collaborated with the Wyndham since 2010, when together we established Austin’s first special-needs-friendly hotel. The recognition by the hotel’s management of the special consideration needed by this community has made it a home away from home for many of the families visiting our Center.)
When families arrive at the hotel, a complimentary bin of toys is delivered to their suite. When children arrive at The Johnson Center for an appointment, they are assigned a welcome basket full of toys they can play with during their visit. These Care Kits help us provide a supportive and stimulating environment for children during times of stress and boredom. Additional toys are used in our clinic rooms, play room, and behavioral therapy rooms.
The goal of this toy drive was to provide fun and engaging toys to be used to enhance language, social skills, and cognitive abilities through play. Most of the toys were pre-approved by our Child Life Specialist and our Behavioral Analysts to ensure they were safe, developmentally appropriate, and likely to appeal to our children. Because of the many visitors to our center every week, toys often become damaged or worn; every bin and basket is inspected and sanitized between uses.
We are grateful to all of the participants who made our toy drive a success: the UT Pre-Physician Assistant Society, the American Medical Students Association at UT, the UT Chapter of Alpha Xi Delta, and T3, an advertising and marketing firm. It has been wonderful to see the Austin community support our efforts; the generosity shared by these groups ensures that children living with autism and related disorders will have a happier, more productive visit at our center.
UT Pre-Physician Assistant Society
American Medical Students Association at UT
Alpha Xi Delta
