Montana Children’s ‘Toy Box’ guarantees Christmas for patients

On the second floor of Montana Children’s is an unassuming makeshift hallway that most likely wouldn’t catch a second glance from passersby if it weren’t for the shimmering set of red, green and silver Christmas garlands dangling at the end of the path.

And should one journey down the hall, which is carefully constructed from white rollaway medical curtains, they’ll discover something most wouldn’t expect to find in a hospital. On the other side of the glistening drapery is the Montana Children’s Toy Box, a pop-up shop filled with thousands of gifts suitable for children of all ages, from infants to teenagers.

On one side of the room, bears, ducks, dinosaurs and other stuffed animals line shelving units, as do Star Wars and super hero Lego sets. Opposite the shelving units are a dozen or so tables displaying dolls, toy trucks, arts and crafts, sporting goods and just about every source of enjoyment a kid might find in the toy aisle of a standard department store. And in the middle of the room is another table stacked high with books.

The spread is dedicated to the patients of Montana Children’s that will spend their holidays in the hospital, as well as for their siblings who, by association, will have to celebrate Christmas without their brother or sister. For these patients and their families, many of whom are at Montana Children’s due to medical circumstances beyond their control, the Toy Box is an opportunity to restore some semblance normalcy to the holidays.

“We hear from parents all the time that they discovered this toy store right after they told their children Christmas won’t be happening this year,” said Carly Rickard, chief development officer for Montana Children’s. “The whole vision behind this children’s hospital is to create an experience where we support not only the patient, but the whole family, and the Toy Box is just one example of how we do that. At its core, the program supports parents with what they need for the holidays and provides a moment of happiness during a scary time for their family.”

The program launched last year and according to Rickard, was wildly successful. Sixty-four children spread out across an estimated 26 families received gifts from the Toy Box over the course of several days. And this year, 114 kids - or about 35 families - have benefited from this year’s event, and Rickard said the hospital anticipates the program will support another 15 families before the holiday ends.

OF COURSE, with COVID-19 restrictions in place at Montana Children’s, which is part of the Kalispell Regional Healthcare network, this year’s event looks a little different than last year’s.

In 2019, the community donated different toys and the parents and children went shopping from the pile of donations. Santa came too, and there was a special arts and crafts section - activities that, in 2020, would violate infection control protocols.

So this year, the Toy Box drive went virtual and Montana Children’s asked the community to donate to a fund that would later be used to purchase a variety of gifts. According to Amy Rohyans Stewart, Child Life Specialist and Coordinator, outpatient families were then asked to fill out a survey detailing what their children had asked for this year and her and Rickard then scoured local businesses and department stores in an effort to find those items, and then some.

“Instead of just selecting toys and putting them in a bag, we had parents provide their input beforehand and then when the shop opened up, one parent or set of parents at a time could then go in and shop for their kids. Once they’ve picked out their gifts, we’ll wrap them and everything,” Stewart said. “There is no one that knows their kid better than a parent. It really is a magical experience for these families. It’s always fun and heartwarming and it’s completely unexpected.”

Each patient and their siblings will receive three items and a book, and every family will receive a group game of sorts. The hospital also strives to provide parents with gas and grocery cards in an effort to provide extra financial support.

Everything in the Toy Box is free of charge.

All told, individuals, companies and organizations donated $40,000 to this year’s program, the primary sponsor of which was Whitefish Credit Union.

“We just asked the community to support us with financial donations. There weren’t many specifics, other than us showing what their money could buy for a kid this holiday season,” Rickard said. “From a $2 donation to a $10,000 donation, it was really an incredible gift for us to witness those funds come in.”

RICKARD AND Steward said the Toy Box serves families from a wide range of backgrounds who have an equally wide set of needs for the holidays.

Some families, such as those with single working parents, simply don’t have the time between work, home and the hospital to shop for gifts and wrap them. Others have already purchased larger gifts, but are in-need of smaller stocking stuffers.

And then there are those who have perhaps been hit hardest by their children’s needs. For example, those who have had to quit their job to ensure their son or daughter made every medical appointment, or others who were already struggling to cover their family’s basic needs amid the pandemic - a situation that has now been exacerbated by mounting medical bills and time spent at the hospital.

Steward, who was inspired to start the program after witnessing a similar one at her previous hospital of employment in Boise, Idaho, recalls a few moments that have stood out to her throughout the years.

There was the time a car accident landed a mother and her children in the hospital and the dad was making frequent trips between his wife’s and childrens’ bedsides. With little time to consider Christmas shopping, the toy shop was an opportunity for him to bring some joy to his family. After carefully selecting his gifts, staff offered to wrap them up, but the Steward said the man declined and asked if he could instead wrap them himself.

“After his family was in an unexpected accident, this was the one thing he felt he could control,” Steward said. “So we cleared a table, brought him some cookies and wrapping paper and let him do just that. He had little to no time, but he took a moment to do this for his family.”

As a more recent example, Montana Children’s staff presented the Toy Box to the mother of a little boy who had been diagnosed with leukemia. She had just quit her job and was learning to navigate a new life where normally ends would meet, and now they simply weren’t. When she was taken to the shop, Steward said the woman was surprised and maybe even a little embarrassed as she explained that her family is normally the one that donates to others during the holidays.

“It can be hard for people to ask for help, but we usually tell them ‘you didn’t ask for help, we offered it,’” Steward said. “People who benefit from this have their whole lives to pay it forward, but during times like these, it can be just as important and healing to be a gracious receiver as it is to be a gracious giver.”

That’s one thing that Steward and Rickard said has continually brought them joy throughout the course of the Toy Box program. Even in the face of great adversity, they said families have never lost their sense of selflessness.

“You’d be surprised how many families we have to encourage to take their share of gifts. They tell us to just save the other toys for other families, but they don’t realize they are that ‘other family’ and that we do all of this for them,” Rickard said. “People are going through some of their hardest moments and are truly struggling, but they still have the capacity to think of others in need. That’s a blessing itself.”

Reporter Kianna Gardner can be reached at 758-4407 or kgardner@dailyinterlake.com