Celebrating Moms at Children’s National

Philanthropy has many ways of improving the journey for children and their families at Children’s National. Throughout the year, our generous community extends our focus on giving and caring. This Mother’s Day, donated gifts and treats are being distributed at our 10^th annual in-patient Mother’s Day lunch, hosted by our Patient and Family Experience team.  Moms will receive goodies from a wide range of supporters throughout the holiday weekend. Here are a few of the many ways our partners help us celebrate the dedicated moms in our midst.

Jewelry, Cupcakes and Friends— Spending Mother’s Day in the hospital with a child can be stressful for a mom and everyone in the family. That’s why Hope for Henry has celebrated this special holiday at Children’s National for the last decade. Hope for Henry provides programs that entertain and calm children and empower them to participate in their own care. For the second year in a row, the organization is teaming up with jewelry designer and philanthropist Kendra Scott to treat moms like superheroes for a morning. Mother’s Day breakfast includes sweets from Georgetown Cupcakes and sparkly gifts, but it’s about more than just the goodies. Hope for Henry founder and CEO Laurie Strongin says it’s about remembering to take care of each other, especially caregivers. “Having a child in the hospital can have negative effects on a family, impacting parents, siblings, loved ones and friends,” she says. “That’s why we make a point to include siblings at all our events, celebrate moms on Mothers’ Day, and don’t worry dads—we will celebrate you on June 16!”

Bags of Fun— When Christina and Damien Lyster’s daughter was diagnosed with a heart defect and treated at Children's National ,they spent a lot of time in the hospital. “I often felt isolated, anxious and helpless,” Christina recalls. Kindness from others—encouragement from nurses or a hello from a stranger—made her feel better in unexpected, welcome ways. Now, her family is determined to be the people who make others feel better, especially on Mother’s Day.

“We want moms to know we appreciate their courage and determination to help their children,” Christina says. Four years ago, they started delivering gift bags, full of things like notepads, fun socks and nail polish, to buoy the spirits of moms whose children are in the hospital on Mother’s Day.

This year, they’ll deliver 252 gift bags. Christina makes sure each contains a note of encouragement. Since the family has relocated to Texas, Damien’s law firm, Vinson & Elkins LLP , helps keep the tradition alive. The family project, Christina says, “allows us the opportunity to pay forward all the gracious acts of kindness we received on our journey as parents of a single-ventricle heart patient.”

Flower Power— 97.1 WASH-FM radio,a committed Children’s National partner, has raised more than $1.6 million to support patients and families. This Mother’s Day, the station will deliver 100 colorful roses to moms at the hospital, brightening their day and showing how much our community cares. “It’s our pleasure to spend time at Children’s National on Mother’s Day,” said Michael Preacher, President of the DC Region of iHeartMedia. “On behalf of all the staff at 97.1 WASH-FM and along with our partners from Twinbrook Floral Designs, we are honored to bring so much joy to the incredible moms and their families.”

We’re grateful for the warm and generous support from all of our partners.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Visit our website here to learn more about how you can give back to patients and families at Children’s National.