A decade of spreading joy during the holidays
On Tuesday, Jessie Tendayi, an Advocate Trinity Hospital cafeteria worker, turned the family waiting rooms at Advocate Children’s Hospital in Oak Lawn, Ill., into real-life toy stores for patients and families to explore.
Young hospitalized patients visited the family waiting rooms, which were filled with toys from wall to wall, and had the opportunity to choose a few gifts for themselves.
2018 marks the 10th year that Jessie has made this generous donation to Advocate Children’s Hospital. She began by donating 100 toys, and each year, her donation has grown. Throughout the year, she saves money from every paycheck, roughly $5,000 every year, and works extra shifts to fund her mission of bringing joy to the families at Advocate Children’s Hospital during the holiday season.
Jessie was in Oak Lawn as dozens of bags of toys were unloaded from a large box truck and delivered to the waiting rooms. She stayed nearby as children and their parents shopped for special gifts.
Jessie’s kindness has brought hundreds of smiles to sick children and their families over the years. Her generosity makes a world of difference to those at the hospital during the holiday season.
See more photos from the wonderful day here.
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About the Author
Colette A. Harris, health enews contributor, is the public affairs and marketing coordinator at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Il. She holds a Master of Science degree in journalism from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism and has nearly a decade of experience writing about health and wellness, which are her passions. When she’s not writing, you can find her practicing yoga, cooking, reading, or traveling.
What a wonderful person!