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Charlie’s Buddies has done more for families then donate developmental toys, rockers, and other items.
Charlie’s Buddies has created and continues to provide the supplies for several specially developed
programs. We plan on continue to support these programs in our local hospital NICUs and expand them to reach
more families in more NICUs. We thank you for your support and if you have any ideas for special programs,
send us an email…we’d love to hear your ideas.
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Charlie’s Buddies new toy has arrived! This was a great project to start and we had great help
in getting the giraffe to all the newborns in the NICUs. Charlie's Buddies was approached by a local girl scout who wanted
to not only help Charlie’s Buddies but also make a difference to others. From the first sketches to the final toy,
it was a great process and we're very proud of the result. The CB giraffe has been making it's way into newborn's cribs
throughout Southern California. Keep an eye out, you may see one soon. |
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Charlie’s Buddies started
this program at Torrance Memorial’s NICU. Charlie’s
Buddies donates Polaroid cameras as well as all the film
needed to the NICU so that the nursing staff can take
pictures of the infants during their stay. The nurses
attach little notes to the pictures and leave them crib
side, so that when the parents return to their child,
there is a special gift waiting. These pictures are commonly
taken in the middle of the night while the parents may
be at home catching up on rest. |
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For
the ‘Caring Hands’ program,
we provide casts (molds) of the newborn's hands or
feet as a 3D sculpture to the parents. The parents
and family are then able to take this actual sized
3D casting of their son/daughter home with them. Many
parents feel great grief when having to go home every
day when their child has to stay in a NICU (especially
for an extended amount of time). This simple gift relieves
some of that tension and provides a way for them to
stay close to their child when at home. Not to mention
it is a great way to show off their child to all their
friends.
Click on the image to the left to learn how to bronze your hand mold.
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Charlie’s Buddies kicked off its latest program at UCLA Children’s
Hospital. For this project, families with a child admitted to either the NICU
or PICU for an extended duration will receive a bag ('bag' is used here to identify
with a collection of many items) of items for the family and child. Such items
in the bag would include discounts at local restaurants and hotels, a gift for
the infant (such as a stuffed animal or infant toy), disposable camera for the
parents, general information, a phone card, and bathroom necessities, including
flip-flops, as well as other items. The idea behind this came from the collaboration
with the Bowel and Liver Transplant Kids (an organization aimed at helping families
with children undergoing transplants). This bag of items is meant to make it
easier for the parents to concentrate on their child’s health as opposed
to whether or not they have to run out for soap or shampoo for the next day’s
shower. These items go a long way in helping families cope with the realities
of the hospital environment, and making their stay a little more comfortable. |
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