Over the weekend, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital hosted its annual Spread Joy Toy Drive, in which corporate partners and individuals delivered new, unwrapped toys to help bring extra cheer to patients at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital this holiday season.
More than 32,500 toys were collected through the annual toy drive, totaling a value of $651,900. The large volume of toys, alongside record sponsorships this year, surpasses all previous years. Last year in 2020, more than 24,000 toys were collected during Spread Joy for Nicklaus Children’s patients.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has inspired our South Florida community to give more than ever to support hospitalized children,” said Jenny Oquendo, manager of Children’s Experiences at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital. “We’ve been incredibly blessed and continue to see a significant increase of Spread Joy donations over the last two years.”
On Christmas morning, every patient admitted at Nicklaus Children’s will wake up with a gift bag of toys and other goodies tailored to their age range. The remaining toys are used throughout the year for patients and their siblings as birthday presents and prizes, milestone gifts and going-home gifts.
This year’s Spread Joy Toy Drive was presented by Pacin Levine, PA, with support from Amazon, CVS Health, CVS Pharmacy y Más, Delta Air Lines, FedEx, FPL and Navarro Discount Pharmacy. The toy drop-off included a photo opportunity for companies and families, and musical entertainment hosted by Y-100 and Big 105.9. The annual toy drive aims to help patient families who otherwise may not have the means to buy gifts this holiday season.
To learn more, visit www.nicklauschildrens.org/spreadjoy
About Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, Where Children Matter Most (2024)
Founded in 1950 by Variety Clubs International, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital is South
Florida’s only licensed specialty hospital exclusively for children, with approximately
850 attending physicians, including more than 500 pediatric subspecialists. The 307-bed
hospital is renowned for excellence in all aspects of pediatric medicine with many specialty programs
routinely ranked among the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report since 2008. The
hospital is also home to the largest pediatric teaching program in the southeastern
United States and since 2003 has been designated an American Nurses Credentialing
Center (ANCC) Magnet facility, the nursing profession’s most prestigious institutional
honor. For more information, please visit www.nicklauschildrens.org.