As the Director of Distribution for Kids Wish Network, I am grateful for our ever faithful donors that give to our organization. Every day I come into the office and my goal is to ensure that every child we encounter will have what they need and then some. It brings me so much joy to see the tons of amazing toys that leave our warehouse and know in my heart that some very deserving children are going to be smiling and filled with happiness because of them. My heart overflows with joy every time I get a letter or survey back from a facility that we have served telling us how the children enjoyed the toys, games and various other gifts that were sent to them. I am so thankful that I can get up every morning and make a difference in a child’s life. I live to see that these kids are happy!

Barbara
Director of Distribution

The Distribution Department has had an incredibly super busy week but it has all been worth it. We were able to assist four local charities that desperately needed our help and now these well deserving children will have a very happy holiday! It brings us so much joy to watch as these gift banks are packed with lots of love and picked up by charities that are helping children with grateful hearts. As you can imagine, these toys will not only allow children to experience a great holiday but will also bring a huge relief to parents as well. We are not done yet! We still have gift banks in the warehouse to be picked up next week. It is so heartwarming for us to be able to carry out our mission right in our own back yard!

Barbara
Director of Distribution

We had another very exciting week here in the Distribution Department and I guess you could say that there is never a dull moment! You see, we just had the privilege of receiving 44 pallets from Fashion Angel of paper doll fashion design kits and fantastic pencils that are full of wonderful color and designs. It was such incredible treat to see this amazing donation come to life as it was delivered here to Kids Wish Network by two 53 foot trailers. Our faithful friends at CSX were generous enough to come to our aid by picking them up and delivering them to us. It is companies like Fashion Angels and CSX that allow us to carry out our mission to bring joy and happiness to very deserving children all across the US.

Barbara Askin
Director of Distribution

What exciting surprises came our way in the Distribution Department last week! Our faithful and consistent donors at King Features Syndicate sent us a whole bunch of merchandise that we were not expecting: 15 boxes filled to the brim with an assortment of Betty Boop merchandise including pajamas, t-shirts, slippers, purses, pillows, and plush to mention just a few! The great part about their donation is that there is something to enjoy for all ages. Don’t we all love Betty Boop? We will be including “Betty Boop” in all of our gift bank packing over the next few weeks. We are so grateful to King Feature Syndicate for their generosity and commitment to Kids Wish Network.

Barbara
Distribution Director

OMG! I am so excited to announce that Kids Wish Network has been chosen as the Charity of Choice for CSX! Kids Wish will literally be “Santa’s little helper” while participating in The Santa Train event, and it’s such an honor!

The Santa Train is an annual event that goes through the Appalachian Mountains where volunteers from Kingsport, TN take tons of gifts, toys and food to needy families in Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee. Did you know that The Santa Train is the world’s largest Santa Parade, which is 110 miles en route?

I am so honored to be able to part of this huge event. I promise to keep everyone posted as the event draws near, so keep watching for my blogs!!!

Barbara
Director of Distribution

Today I received a survey from one of our facilities regarding the pallet of toys we sent to them. After rating the program a “5” (out of 5), this is what the facility had to say:

“The other day a little girl (age 4) who had been in for a full abuse assessment, including a comprehensive medical exam, told her mom, or rather insisted that her mom take her to “the doctor”. Her mom was confused until the little girl described the building. The mom called to ask if it was OK, which of course it was, and the little girl came and played in the kids’ waiting room. Your generous gift of toys makes it possible for us to offer not only a safe, welcoming environment, but a place kids want to be. Thank you!”

It’s responses like these that makes the long days worth while! Good job KWN!!

Margo
HOTM Facility Coordinator

Barbara and I are back from Vegas in one piece! As I mentioned before our departure, we went there to attend The ABC Kids Expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The show was busy and full of a lively atmosphere. We got to see and thank many of the wonderful companies who donate to our organization with such open hearts.

We had our little goodie bag full of Kids Wish Network Guardian Angel Coins which we passed out, along with our gratitude and many smiles. It was so heartwarming to be pulled aside and shown the coins in their purses and wallets from the last time we met or when we were told all the funny little stories that people connect to our little good luck charms!

We also met a lot of new companies with promises of future donations, everybody we met was so full of hope and charity, it was really uplifting. I know in my heart that between Kids Wish Network and the many kind and giving companies and individuals out there that we will be supplying toys and gifts to many many many deserving little people for a long long time to come!

Ashley
Distribution Department

This morning when I came in it was business as usual. I said good morning to everyone and sat down in my office to begin my day. As I worked through my pile of surveys, emails, etc. I came across one of the most heart warming surveys yet. We recently gave a gift bank to a facility that cares for abused children. A precious little girl at the tender age of 4 had been to the center for a full abuse assessment as well as a comprehensive medical exam. After a little while had passed the little girl kept asking her mom to go to “the doctor”. Confused by what the child was trying to get at, the child began to describe the safe center. All the little girl wanted to do was play at the children’s waiting room. The mother called the center and, of course, they gave a thumbs-up on the visit.

The facility was so grateful to Kids Wish Network for the gift bank full of toys and activities that we had sent them and explained that our help makes it possible for these innocent children to have a safe place to play. My heart was so overjoyed at the thought of a child so excited to go back to a place where she can play and have fun after all she had to endure. This just made my week! Receiving letters like these makes us want to work even harder for these wonderful children! Toys heal wounds!

Barbara Askin
Director of Distribution

I am so excited to be part of the local gift bank program that we do here at Kids Wish Network. This is my second Holiday Season that I am preparing for with local facilities that house homeless and abused children. The need for toys and items for them is tremendous this year and Kids Wish Network will be able to spread the joy of the season to many children who might not even have a chance to have a holiday.

It is a wonderful feeling to get up every day knowing that I have the chance to bring a smile to a hurting child’s face or to give someone hope. It’s a privilege to be able to work alongside my awesome co-workers and do what we do everyday!!

Heather
Distribution Department

All work and no play makes Ashley a dull girl…No, seriously. I know it sounds like fun, but we will definitely be working!

Kids Wish Network really needs baby items for distribution so next week we’re heading to Vegas for the Annual ABC Kids Expo.

I have no doubt we will meet many, many nice people who will help us out. Keep you fingers crossed, I’ll update you on our return!

Ashley
Distribution Department

Worth, ILL – A young boy who suffers from various life-threatening illnesses recently had his wish granted to meet Chicago Cubs player Aramis Ramirez. The wish was made possible with the help of national charity Kids Wish Network.

Nicholas, who is 11-years-old, was born with Hydrocephalus, a cleft lip and palate, and Crouzan Syndrome, which results in the premature fusion of certain bones in the skull. He has had seven surgeries in his short life, including brain surgery, a bone graft and various reconstructive surgeries to help repair the malformations in his face caused by his illnesses. He will soon undergo another surgery, which will be his most extensive surgery to date, in which surgeons will work to make his face appear more symmetrical.

A Kids Wish Network Wish Referral Specialist contacted Gina, Nicholas’ mom, and sent an application for a wish out to their home. Once the application was completed, Wish Coordinator Vanessa and Wish Funding Specialist Doris got right to work on getting Nicholas’ wish granted.

Vanessa set up the meet and greet with Ramirez, tickets to the game, a hotel stay at Affinia Chicago, various meals at area restaurants, a limo ride, free admission to an Air and Water show with a hospitality tent set up by Shell, and even spending money for their expenses.

“Everything was wonderful. People were so nice and they treated us all like royalty. They were very, very nice to Nick and to all of us,” said Gina. “The Hotel was wonderful and all the restaurants that we got to eat at were great.”

Aside from meeting Ramirez, Nicholas and his family got to meet many additional Cubs players, including Ryan Theriot, Jake Fox, Jeff Baker, Rich Harden, Kosuke Fukudome, Sean Marshall, Geovany Soto and Carlos Marmol.

Nick also go to go out on to the field while the players took their pre-game batting practice, spend time with the guys in their dugout before the game started and take pictures together. Some of the players signed a ball for Nick and he was given a jersey signed by Ramirez. Gina said that Nicholas is a huge sports fan and his favorite team is the Cubs.

“He was very excited about meeting all the players. I just kept telling him to enjoy this because it is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Gina.

Gina said that they had a great time and that Nick really enjoyed the time he had on his wish.

Kids Wish Network would like to thank the following for helping to make Nick’s wish extra special: Mayors Office of Special Events-City of Chicago, Shell, The Capital Grill, Metropolitan Limousine, Affina Chicago, The Chicago Cubs, Timmy ‘O Tooles, Rainforest Café, American Legion Post 1160, BPOE Elks Lodge 1596, Rotary Club of Orland Park, VFW Post 177, Griffis-Jones & Associates, and Hunt Insurance.