CHRISTMAS DAY CELEBRATIONS

Merry Christmas from the Gem on the Lake! While St. Nick couldn’t make his annual trip to the hospital due to COVID-19, we still found a way for our kids to celebrate with Santa. With the help of La Rabida’s elves, Santa virtually visited our patients via Zoom. Each child was surprised with an array of gifts to open on Christmas. Families also enjoyed holiday meals prepared by La Rabida’s Food Services team that were delivered to each patient room.

Thank you to Santa, our team of elves, and the many supporters of La Rabida for helping make this Christmas one to remember for patients aboard the S.S. La Rabida!

THE SPIRIT OF GIVING

With the help of the friends of La Rabida, we are able to spread cheer to our patients and their families over the holidays. Friends like Kutchins, Robbins, and Diamond; ComEd; and Share the Magic hosted toy drives with our patients in mind. This year was challenging for many and because of the generous donations from supporters far and wide, we were able to make sure that our kids had gifts to open on Christmas Day.

Thank you to KRD, ComEd, Share the Magic, and all of our thoughtful friends for donating toys for our patients to enjoy this holiday season.

DRIVE-THRU ELF ROOM

In the two weeks leading up to Christmas, La Rabida transforms a portion of the hospital into the annual Elf Room where staff become Santa’s elves and hand out holiday gifts to kids. As patients visit our outpatient clinic for their appointments, they are invited to visit the Elf Room to receive a gift bag full of toys, books, and games curated especially for them.

This year also included a socially distant drive thru option for patients who normally would visit our clinic in person but have moved to telehealth appointments. More than 100 La Rabida staff members have volunteered hundreds of hours to sort, package, and distribute over 5,000 toys to patients and their siblings.

DRESSED TO THE NINES

Every year, our friends at Frankie’s on the Park host a Dress Event that gives our patients an opportunity to pick out an outfit and accessories to wear during their holiday celebrations. While we couldn’t celebrate with the annual fashion show this year, Frankie’s on the Park still wanted to make sure our girls felt special.

Lisa Rolfe Burik, owner of the luxury tween boutique, and the team at Frankie’s donated a number of clothing items to La Rabida families. Patients picked out an outfit of their own as they came to the hospital for their appointments. Thank you, Frankie’s on the Park, for helping make sure our patients feel extra special for the holidays!

This story was featured in the Winter 2020/2021 issue of Currents. Read the full issue here.