FAQs

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Resource to field the questions families will have when they realize their lives as they know it – have changed. To be given the diagnosis that one’s child has a rare, life-threatening condition and their child’s fragile health will mean any number of actions most people have never seen nor done before – parents, caregivers, siblings need someone to create a road map and begin addressing their ‘NEXT’. Therefore, what TLB does most often is advocate with the family to secure immediate resources and mobilize these teams into action so that the family can find solid ground again… as the fragile child’s journey has just begun. This includes items, funds, medical conversations to adjust the most immediate needs – which can take months to navigate.
In Pediatrics, the conditions are varied. Because TLB most often has dealt w/ conditions that involve blood and marrow donation we typically work w/ families in these areas: Burns kids, surgery kids, cancer kids, inherited marrow failure / anemia kids, transplant kids (solid organ + marrow), injury or trauma kids and premature babies. These children can be in-patient, at home and/or hospice.
TLB is notified via the hospital pediatric staff, school personnel, a board member or someone close to the family who can help bridge TLB to pediatric services that will assist putting together the bigger picture of what needs to happen for each situation and the family. This used to be routinely done as part of a ‘Care Management’ plan – today, a lot of details are left up to the family and their primary care provider to discuss, but the ACTIONS of how to implement the processes are not personalized for each family. Therefore ‘criteria’ includes a diagnosis that a child (ages 0-21+) has a health situation typically – rare, urgent, acute that will lead to long term, or in hospice.
Most families, upon diagnosis of a challenging pediatric situation are in shock, they are typically thrown into a medical world that they must learn to navigate immediately. Most families cling to the team that handed them the diagnosis and all of their next steps – it is through this process that TLB ‘hand holds’ the caregiver and donates toys to the child – items that are meaningful to the medical moment … Therefore, families are not ready to tell the public what they are dealing with and thus toy collection options are the easiest way TLB has learned (20 years) to embrace the child, medical staff and family until the family makes their situation more public.
Businesses, corporate organizations may always participate since they will be impacted the most ~ one parent will leave the workplace to care for the child, much talent is lost when an employee can no longer remain in a job UNLESS the business world creates places and spaces for fragile children primary care givers / parents.
Helping employees address their personal caregiving obligations is an approach employers almost entirely overlook at a mechanism for maximizing employee productivity and minimizing turnover.(Harvard Business School study: The Caring Company: How Employers can Cut Costs and Boost Productivity by Helping Employees Manage Caregiving Needs, by Joseph B. Fuller and Manjari Raman.) Harvard business school: for every dollar an employer invests in caregiver support the employer reaps a return of up to $4.45.

· 1/3 of all employees (32%) reported voluntarily leaving a job during their career because of their caregiving responsibilities.
· 3 out of 4 (73%) report having some kind of current care giving responsibility
· Senior level leaders, product managers and tech employees are leaving prestigious jobs because of caretaking demands
· Younger employees: ages 26-35 report they’ve already left a job due to their caregiving responsibilities.
Yes, We have a subscription format
We ask the family what they want donors to know .. We discuss HIPPA with our board members – TLB volunteers are trained to not discuss these situations. If necessary, we sign agreements.
Yes. And, it will depend on what the donor wants – how they choose to be acknowledged.
Yes. In the past, most donations were for toys. In the future most donations can be designated toward a particular campaign or for TLB’s needs/undesignated donations.
1. NEW, clean  2. unused,  3. wrapped in the container that the manufacturer has put around the toy. 4. Stuffed animals that the eyes, tail, etc cannot be bitten off  5. INFANT toys are always needed.  6. Toys that light up, spin, distract are great toys for pre-surgery situations.  7. Clay, sticker books, coloring activity books, markers, crayons, paint-with-water books. . .  8. Little people villages, hot wheel cars, baby dolls, tea sets 9. Board games, cards, puzzles  10. TEEN items needed too
  Toys that a child can enjoy while they are in a chair for the day or they have to stay in bed are the best items for hospital toy donations. 
Team Lizzie Bell