Since the mid-1960s, the Children's Hospital Volunteers have been helping the hospital and patient families to have a more comfortable hospital experience. Established by Anne D. Regas as the Children’s Hospital Auxiliary, the group is now called the Children’s Hospital Volunteers. They host a variety of fund-raisers to benefit the hospital and to provide services such as patient entertainment programs, e-greeting cards on the hospital's Web site and a clothing/hygiene closet for emergency needs.

The Volunteers are committed to providing a high level of support to Children's Hospital. Some of the group's fund-raisers include a Valentine candy kisses sale in February, a plant sale in the spring, a holiday greeting card sale (the group's largest fund-raiser), a poinsettia sale in December and an annual used book/video/CD/DVD sale.

Volunteers devote many hours to managing these projects and fund-raisers that purchase supplies and fund services to make a child's stay in the hospital more enjoyable. Most recently, the Volunteers funded an in-house movie system, offering several channels of recent and classic children’s movies, such as popular Disney movies. TVs in all patient rooms have access to the G, PG and PG-13-rated movies throughout each day.

The Volunteers also help support a clothing/hygiene closet for families in need at the hospital. Donations of items are accepted to the clothing closet year round. Items that are needed are new or previously worn knit pants and knit shirts, in all sizes from infants to adults. New socks and new underwear are also accepted in all sizes. The clothing closet does not accept jeans, coats, dresses or shoes. Travel-size personal toiletry items -- shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes -- are also needed. The clothes and toiletries are given to patients and parents who may have come to the hospital on short notice due to a child's sudden illness or injury and are lacking a change of clothes or personal hygiene items.

E-greeting cards on the hospital's website are one of the Volunteers’ other recent projects. Visitors to the hospital's website can create a card for a patient currently in one of the inpatient units at the hospital. The cards are printed in the Volunteer Services and Resources Department, placed in envelopes and delivered by volunteers to the patients. The Volunteers are funding the cost of paper, envelopes and color printer ink to make the cards available at no charge to the senders or recipients.

If you would like information about joining the Children's Hospital Volunteers or would like to donate items to the clothing/hygiene closet, call the Volunteer Services and Resources Department at Children's Hospital at (865) 541-8136 or e-mail us.