Donations to the Foundation gift drive brighten holidays for patients
01/16/24 03:30:pm
From smiles to tears of gratitude, the 10th annual Rogers Behavioral Health Foundation’s “Give for a Better Day” holiday gift drive made this holiday season brighter for nearly 800 patients.
Thanks to generous donors, including 21 corporations, community groups, teams at Rogers, and schools, we were able to provide gifts to patients in 61 programs across all levels of care throughout Wisconsin.
This year, the Foundation gave gifts to 467 child and adolescent patients and 316 adults. The donations included 147 mindfulness coloring books, 351 gift cards, 152 board games, 350 fuzzy slippers and socks, 79 fleece blankets, 109 wordsearch, sudoku, and crossword books, 588 fidgets, and 73 journals. In addition, the Foundation received $2,550 in cash donations, which was used to purchase gifts.
The Holiday Gift Drive embodies the spirit of compassion and community support, serving as a collective effort to provide not just tangible gifts to our patients, but a sense of comfort, joy, and togetherness with the community that supports them.
Below are a few comments from Rogers teammates:
“We had a patient who had tears in her eyes and was so grateful upon receiving her gift. This is a teen who doesn’t have support from family, and I’m unsure how much of a holiday she had with them.” – Jenny Bliefernicht, clinical supervisor, Madison
“We truly want to thank the committee members and the donors for their generosity and thoughtfulness. Some of the patients we work with are unable to get presents at home, so seeing their surprised faces light up was heart-warming.” – Amber Aussem, therapist, Kenosha
“The patients’ smiles and their moods lift when they hear about Rogers donating gifts to them. This allows a great opportunity for me to remind them about Rogers being a nonprofit organization. All the patients have expressed gratitude for the gifts.” – Molly Feldner, therapist, Appleton
“I found out that our patients had a massive game night with all the presents they received from the Foundation. They all had a blast! The best part was that this activity included EVERYONE. I received multiple “Thank You’s” from residents, saying that they didn’t think they would be able to open any gifts on Christmas. What a blessing!” - Pam Eichler, counselor, OCD and Anxiety adult residential care
As we reflect on the success of this year’s Holiday Gift Drive, members of the Foundation share their heartfelt gratitude to every person who contributed.
