SPOTSWOOD [NJ] — A
special group of people from the borough have
managed to bring smiles to sick and hospitalized
children for the second straight year.
After running a drive
that rounded up more than 200 new gifts this fall,
members of the Spotswood Alliance on Alcoholism and
Drug Abuse, along with Police Sgt. Chris Bierman and
retired NFL star Lonnie Allgood, delivered the gifts
last week to children in two New Brunswick
hospitals.
"The kids are very
receptive, and the parents are very excited to see
us come in with gifts," said Dawn Crandall,
president of the alliance. "It's really
heartwarming."
The gifts came from
the generosity of many children and adults from the
Spotswood area. The alliance asked middle school and
high school students to donate gifts, and also
sought help from Kiddie Academy of Spotswood, which
Crandall noted was an "unbelievable" help with the
gift collection.
"We
collected a lot from the students, but once I went
to Kiddie Academy to collect the gifts, we were
inundated," she said.
Crandall spent a day wrapping the gifts at home with
help from a few other volunteers, and on Dec. 17 she
and the other volunteers brought toys to children in
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital's intensive
care unit and cancer ward. The following day, they
did the same for children at Saint Peter's
University Hospital.
The gifts were
age-appropriate, and there were plenty of gifts for
infants on up to teenagers. Those who were 18 or 19,
perhaps too old for a toy or a certain game,
received a gift card. And any siblings who were
visiting in the hospital also got a gift. It was
extra special for the youngsters to learn that the
person visiting them was a professional football
player — Allgood played wide receiver for the
Cincinnati Bengals, New Orleans Saints and Buffalo
Bills. He now runs the nonprofit organization Pros
for Kids.
"He's really good
with the kids," Bierman said. "When they find out
who he is, they're very receptive, and so is the
hospital staff. And he does it from his heart, not
because of who he is."
Bierman, Allgood and
Crandall stick around as the children open the
gifts. The best part, they said, is not just seeing
the kids smile, but when the parents thank them for
bringing the child a moment of happiness.
"A nurse said that
there was one child in particular who they had not
seen smile at all, and when Lonnie gave him the
gift, he was smiling ear to ear," Crandall recalled.
"It's a good
feeling," Bierman said. "You feel like you're
helping somebody, and you can see the joy that you
bring to the kids and their families. They're very
appreciative, and the hospital staff is very
appreciative."
Crandall launched the
drive last year, and she, Bierman and Allgood
delivered toys last December to children at Saint
Peter's. This year's drive resulted in more toys and
a second hospital. They also garnered the generosity
of 1-800-Pack-Rat in Monroe, which matched every
gift with a $10 donation to the Ronald McDonald
House in New Brunswick.
Other volunteers who
helped out were Kristal Neal, child life coordinator
at Saint Peter's, Lynn Moffitt from Kiddie Academy,
Terry Eisenbrey from 1-800-Pack-Rat and Alliance
Vice President Terry Salge.
The volunteers said
they plan to keep the tradition going in future
years.
