Little Wishes

A Child Life of Illinois Foundation benefitting The Children's Hospital of Illinois

 

Mission

Cafeteria Alternatives Little Wishes Foundation was formed to assist the Child Life specialists at Children’s Hospital of Illinois in attending to the “wants” of sick children.   We saw the need, and it became our mission, to “grant” a hospitalized child’s wish.   Little Wishes Foundation is new but the idea is not.  The desire to help children who are suffering because of disease or trauma is what our hearts and faith draw us to.

                                                                                                                                                     

IT BEGAN WITH PIZZA! pizza_party   Our first request was from an OSF Saint Francis employee requesting a slice of pizza for a very ill child who would not eat.  Instead of one slice of pizza, we sent an entire pizza for the family to share, hoping that would encourage the child to eat.   Soon after, we began hosting weekly pizza parties for patients and their families at Children’s Hospital.  Our menu offers foods that kids love – chicken strips, hot dogs, fries and a variety of treats. Nurses from Children’s Hospital are welcome to bring a patient to the cafeteria anytime for a free meal.  When we see a patient in our cafeteria, we buy their meal as well as their families.

 

Article from OSF Saint Francis Medical Center's December 3, 2010 Connections magazine.  lots of kids

 

 

 

Rehab sessions can be very painful so following a session, we offer a treat.  The patient is wheeled to the cafeteria and then asked to walk a couple of steps to the opened vending machine to choose the treat of their choice.       

Other wishes:  

Being hospitalized can be stressful and boring so we purchased DVD players for every patient room in Children’s Hospital G200 Unit.

remote control

A Birthday Gift.  A four-year-old child in the advanced stages of cancer wished for an Eight Shooter Nerf Gun and Spiderman pajamas.  Of course, we went shopping immediately for those gifts.

Prom Night.  A special night in any young woman's life. A little different when you have terminal cancer. A limo, treats suited to her limited appetite and a new outfit helped make it a night for her and her friends to remember. At Christmas time the same young woman gets to become her families secret santa. With a little help from Child Life specialists and our office manager, the whole family had a nice time.

These are just a few examples of the things that we do to make a child smile and bring joy to their day. We are continuously inspired at the resilience shown by these special children in such adverse situations. 

Canisters are placed at each check-out station in the cafeteria for people to throw their change into and Cafeteria Alternatives matches the amount collected from each canister.

Children's Hospital of Illinois Logo

 




Canister collections and Cafeteria Alternatives match through April 2012:
$156,435.84
Article from OSF Saint Francis Medical Center's December 3, 2010 Connections magazine.