Dr. John Winskill, Toys for Kids of Intensive Care Families
Nominated by Gary Akiyama, Akiyama Financial Services, LLC
About Toys for Kids
- Private insurance and the Department of Social and Health Services cover some of the costs, but medical expenses pose a very real financial burden for families with chronically ill children.
- Toys for Kids raises funds to provide toys for ill children and their siblings. The organization accepts donations year round, and 100 percent of funds raised go directly to the cause.
- Under Winskill's tireless leadership, and thanks to the generous donations of the community over the past 17 years, the Toys for Kids program has succeeded in raising over $250,000 and has made holiday memories for over 2,000 children and their families.
Inspired by his son Christopher, Dr. Winskill started Toys for Kids of Intensive Care Families with the goal of bringing some holiday cheer to Mary Bridge Children's Hospital in Tacoma, Wash.
Nineteen years ago the Winskills welcomed home Christopher, their first born, but shortly after his birth Christopher was admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit where he remained for four months; he was sent home on life support with a full nursing team.
During this time, Dr. Winskill realized the financial and emotional impact that extended hospitalization has on families. The experience opened his eyes to what he calls an "invisible population of children in need" and inspired him to act.
In 1991, Winskill founded the Toys for Kids program at Tacoma's Mary Bridge Children's Hospital.
The Toys for Kids program works to identify and raise funds for families with chronically ill children. The volunteer organization raises funds all year, and then each December, the Winskills, along with the volunteers, go on a shopping spree picking out gifts from each child's individual wish list.
Any leftover funds are donated to the hospitals' Helping Hands program, which provides financial support such as food vouchers, and gas and monetary contributions to help ease the financial worries of families with chronically ill children.
Winskill was nominated as a Symetra Community Champion by Gary Akiyama of Akiyama Financial Services, LLC.
"I am so proud to have Dr. Winskill as one of my clients. Toys for Kids has brightened the lives of many families of chronically ill children," said Akiyama. "His efforts touch the lives of many."
For more information on the Toys for Kids program, visit www.drwinskill.com/toysforkids.aspx.