St. Mary Medical Center Donates Toys for Trauma Survivors

Dignity Health – St. Mary Medical Center employees hosted a toy drive earlier this month to collect donations of new toys, books, school supplies, and stuffed animals to serve children in need at Long Beach Police Department Special Victims Section.

Employees from St. Mary, including Sister Celeste Trahan, CCVI, Vice President of Mission Integration and Drew Gagner, St. Mary Foundation president, hand-delivered about 500 items to the police department this week. The inaugural event stemmed from the fact that sometimes victims of domestic crimes are patients at St. Mary Medical Center and they may have children who are taken to the special victims section at LBPD. St. Mary employees wanted to show their care for others extends beyond the hospital walls.

Sharon Sauser, manager of respiratory care at St. Mary, shared, “I have been in health care for a long time and have seen many unfortunate things in my career. I knew there was a way I could give something for the impacted children to hold on to in a time of need.” What started as a few stuffed animals in a basket, turned into an outpouring of support for innocent children in our community. “It was great to see so many employees demonstrating human kindness in such a special way,” noted Sharon.

Tom Leary, Long Beach Police Department’s Volunteer Coordinator and his colleagues in the Special Victims Section expressed immense gratitude on behalf of the department and the children who will benefit from this generous donation. “Due to the nature of our work, police department employees come into contact with children with a variety of circumstances. This donation came from a good place, a small place in someone’s heart, who just wanted to give back to the community. Having these extra toys will go a long way towards making a positive difference in their childhood.”

Submitted by SMMC

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