Share |

Font Size:

 

Generosity that comes in all colours, shapes and sizes

Leon's donates furniture and a $75,000 gift to SickKids

September 23, 2009

While most patient rooms at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) have a daybed for parents to spend the night, one area of the hospital does not.

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) sees more than 700 medically-unstable premature and full-term babies a year who need 24-hour monitoring. Due to the critical nature of their conditions, up to six babies share a room. The physical environment in the NICU is so limited that it cannot support parents in the room for a 24 hours capacity. In many cases, the NICU Care by Parent Room serves as a refuge for parents during an extremely difficult time.

This parental safe haven received a much-needed facelift thanks to the outstanding generosity of Leon's "No Money Miracle" initiative for hospitals across Canada.

Announced September 23 by Terry Leon, President and CEO of Leon's Furniture Ltd, at a private event at the Roundhouse store location, Leon's is celebrating its 100th birthday by donating furniture to 64 hospitals nationally, including SickKids. SickKids Foundation used the in-kind furniture donation to provide a needed makeover the NICU Care by Parent Room.

"Leon's has been making life more comfortable for Canadian families for 100 years," Leon said. "Hospitals are literally the lifeblood of our communities and we look forward to adding a little comfort for patients and visitors alike."

The Care by Parent Room is a multi-function room, used primarily by parents of NICU palliative patients who need to stay at SickKids overnight. The room also serves as a space for prayer and baptism; clinical therapy, where parents learn how to best care for their recovering babies; and as a private space for parents to express their grief when a child does not survive.

"We are deeply moved by the kindness and compassion demonstrated by Leon's," said Audra Jesso, manager of the NICU, SickKids. "The new furniture has transformed this important space in our NICU and provided a comfortable retreat for parents to bond with their children as they face some of the most difficult times in a family's life."

As well as the generous in-kind gift, Leon also announced an additional $75,000 gift to SickKids Foundation.

"In addition to the very generous store credit at Leon's, we are grateful to Terry Leon and his team for making a $75,000 gift to support the highest priority needs of SickKids Foundation and the hospital, providing us with the necessary resources to support our most essential needs," said Ted Garrard, President and CEO, SickKids Foundation. "It is investments like these that have truly accelerated our ability to not only focus on what makes children sick and how to cure them, but to better understand what makes them healthy."

In 2009, Leon will travel across Canada to celebrate Leon's 100th Anniversary with the company's extended family of 3,750 associates. During his tour, Leon will visit many of the hospitals receiving donations.

"I'm really looking forward to seeing our care for the community come to life," says Leon. "I think our founder would be proud of our actions."