“Your generosity and variety of items, for the wide range of ages as well as gifts for our play and teen lounge programs, were so well received. Staff were blown away by your true understanding and appreciation for the work we do and were humbled by your words.” – Chantal LeBlanc, IWK
September 2017 has been another busy one for the GameChanger Team! This month, while on our Gamers Give Back Tour, we visited our lovely friends to the north in Canada. Each healthcare facility we visited was innovative in their approach to healthcare, showed special attention in caring for their very special young patients, and were all ears when it came to pushing forward with new ideas.
One of the items we take along with us to our GGB tour stops is the “Therapeutic Video Game Recommendation Guide” that our partner Child’s Play Charity has created. We bring copies along with us as reference for games that can help with a variety of symptoms. Erick (@eribek on Twitter), one of our friends from Childs Play who is frequently with us on visits, is always more than happy to go over the guide with staff after gifts have been distributed on a visit.
Below are some highlights from the Gamers Give Back Tour stops including thank you notes and pictures from our visits.
“I just want to thank you so much for the visit! The team was awesome and the gifts were much appreciated by all the kids! Lunch was very good and we had a good chat! We will definitely speak again for future plans” – Jean Pascal, Shriners Hospital, Montreal
Following our visit to Shriners Hospital, Montreal, Don Johnson, CEO here at GameChanger, attached us to an email:
“I will tell you that Shriner’s of Montreal was a real inspiration and highlight…you and the team at Shriner’s are truly “GameChanger’s”!! We are humbled to have had the opportunity to get to know you and your entire team!” – DJ
Thank you for having us!
Next, we stopped at IWK Health Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Not only was the hospital gorgeous, it’s also worth to note that the sights in Nova Scotia are breathtaking and worth a visit to see for yourself!
We were greeted kindly by Chantal LeBlanc and her team of Child Life professionals and handed out many gifts throughout the wings of the children’s hospital. Once we finished up and said our goodbyes we received this pleasant thank you note that warmed our hearts:
“I just wanted to send a quick note of appreciation for the motivating group lunch we just had. I don’t think that GameChanger realizes the impact their visit had. I truly feel their timing was perfect. It was so inspiring to have such passionate people meet with us and have a true understanding and appreciation for Child Life. Hearing them speak validated what we do and why. To know there are people like that out there advocating for us, our patients and our families is so refreshing. I feel recharged having a group get together and it was very thoughtful for them to treat us to lunch, that was a nice bonus.” – Chantal LeBlanc, IWK
Thanks Chantal! We love what you all do for the kids as well!!
Last but certainly not least, we made a stop at Janeway Children’s Hospital Foundation in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
“I just wanted to send a quick thank you to Terri and Jenine, for your assistance in the GameChanger & Child’s Play Charity event that took place today at the Janeway.
The event was amazing with Child Life staff along with Eric, Don and Darla from GameChanger & Child’s Play, able to visit and provide gifts to the Janeway patients, plus the opportunity for Child Life staff and the Give Back Tour representatives to meet and discuss the gaming ( both electronic and board games) needs of the hospital from both a diversional and therapeutic aspect.
We would like to thank both groups for including the Janeway Children’s Health and Rehabilitation Centre in your Canadian east coast Gamers Give Back Tour. We look forward to continued collaboration with your group.
Also, thank you for the lunch it was a wonderful treat.” – Arlene Scott, JaneWay
As autumn the autumn temperatures start to cool down and set the stage for winter, we would like to give our sincere thanks to all of the hospitals we’ve visited for having us while on our Gamers Give Back Tour. We can only hope that the work we do brings happiness to these special kids who need it most. A million thanks to each and every Child Life team member out there helping kids through tough times!
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