Parkland Wish List Project
The FWC Parkland Wish List Project is a volunteer-based group that collects and delivers non-cash donations to Parkland patients who have little to no financial resources. We focus primarily on essential items for the NICU/Newborn and Adult patient care units: preemie/newborn clothing and diapers/wipes, carry-all/tote bags, adult socks, T-shirts, underwear, travel-size toiletries, and blankets. Additional items from the FWC Parkland Wish List are always greatly appreciated, as well. Note: Due to its infection prevention policy, Parkland can only accept unused items.
Purchasing donations for Parkland patients has become easier! Please use The Parkland Child Life’s Amazon Wish List link.
The new items purchased will be delivered directly to Parkland. The Parkland nurses express their sincere appreciation for ALL the donations.
In addition, two to three times a year, the Project purchases books and essential items for Parkland patients and families, on behalf of FWC members. These purchases, tax fee are made with monetary donations from individual members of the FWC community.
Thank you for your generous support and kind consideration. Your donations play a vital role in making our charitable efforts possible.
FWC Parkland Wish List Project Contacts:
Coordinator: Kathy Peters at wishlistfwc@gmail.com.
Note: The FWC Parkland Wish List Project is not a nonprofit unit.
How Donations Help
In the following interview, Hannah Clark, M.Ed., CCLS, Certified Child Life Specialist, explains the crucial ways our donations help newborns and parents who lack resources (the majority of the more than 12,000 babies born and 1,467 admissions into the NICU at Parkland in 2016).
FWC: Thank you, Hannah, for taking time to share your unique perspective on how we can best help with the needs in Parkland’s Women and Infant Services. To start us off, can you provide some examples of family circumstances in which donated clothing, diapers, or other items are needed?
Hannah: Being the county hospital of Dallas, Parkland is a place that provides healthcare to individuals from all walks of life, regardless of their resources, support, or financial means. Within WISH department (women and infant services), we provide support to individuals who lack basic resources such as diapers, car seats, and clothes. In addition, many of our families lack emotional and financial support that so many people depend upon during hard times. This can make the joyous time of bringing a new baby into the world an extremely stressful and intimidating experience. When we receive donations, no matter how small, each item truly changes the lives of the families we are able to provide them to. By receiving each special donation, and distributing them appropriately throughout our units, we are able to set these families up for success upon leaving the hospital.
FWC: How do the books we donate help babies, young siblings, and their parents?
Hannah: When we receive donations of books, we are not only able to provide families with a special gift, but we are also able to teach families about the importance of literacy and language development. We are able to provide baby books to families of premature infants that are unable to handle touch and encourage our parents to utilize reading as a form of attachment and bonding with their sick infants. We are able to provide picture and chapter books to siblings, who spend hours at the hospital with their families; this enables learning and engages siblings, who are so often forgotten about during a family member's stressful extended hospital stay. By leaving baby books at the bedside, it encourages family members and visitors to read to our infants, which is an incredible way to promote healthy brain development, as well as normalizing the hospital environment.
FWC: Can you quantify the overall need for NICU donations? Maybe you could tell us roughly how many infants are born at Parkland each year — and, again roughly, what percentage or how many of those infants need help with basics, like clothing and diapers?
Hannah: It is hard to discuss the overall need, as the need is SO great. The number of infants born at Parkland in 2016 alone was 12,079, with 127 sets of twins and 4 sets of triplets! In addition, we had 1467 admissions to the NICU in 2016! Not to mention, the numbers keep growing. Of all of the families we see, I would say over 70% of them are in dire need of resources - though this is just a guesstimate. Keep in mind, we see homeless mothers, very young teen mothers, substance abusing mothers, and other extreme, high-risk social situations, where any donation/baby item is needed desperately.
FWC: Are clothing and diapers the most needed items, or are there others that are equally needed? We donate socks, hats, blanket sleepers, and a few other types of items, but most of what we collect are bodysuits, onesies, pants, and diapers, mostly preemie and newborn, with some 0-3 month sizes.
Hannah: This is an area that we will ALWAYS need high numbers of donations. Of course, donations of other items such as sleep sacks, receiving blankets, diaper or tote bags, and large items such as pack n' plays and infant carrier car seats are incredibly helpful. But, I would say that the clothing, diapers, and tote bags are items we go through very quickly and are in constant need of!