DETROIT (WXYZ) — Hundreds of toys arrived at the Children's Hospital of Michigan today, bringing comfort and joy to children fighting cancer through a community-wide donation effort.
Cornerstone Community Financial Credit Union, with help from Two Men and a Truck, delivered the toys collected throughout metro Detroit. The donation aims to bring light to kids battling cancer and their families during difficult times.
"We're here for the community, and when you see the community and their outpouring of support, and every year we hear a different story [about] how cancer has affected their families, and that's why they made the donation. We recognize this is why it's so important to do this," Heidi Kassab said.
Kassab serves as president and CEO at Cornerstone Community Financial.
The toys go directly to the hospital's child life team, who work to bring comfort, play, and a sense of normalcy to young patients during their treatment.
"It helps reduce the anxiety, because they're introduced to something that is normal to them and something that really brings a smile to their face," Maureen Stys said.
Stys manages child life and volunteer services at the Children's Hospital of Michigan.
For many kids and their families, these moments of joy mean everything during challenging times.
Rachel Dobbs, whose daughter is a patient at the hospital, witnessed firsthand how these simple gestures make a difference.
"Child life coming in and helping, just bringing some of her favorite things like art and Legos, and it's a huge blessing to her… as a mom, just to see her breathe and smile and um not you know worry about things so," Dobbs said. "It's just a joy to see her have joy because her strength gives me strength."
The toy donation serves as more than entertainment – it creates an environment where hospitals feel welcoming rather than scary for young patients.
"Her seeing that people care and that hospitals aren't scary, that they can be welcoming and encouraging at times, and that definitely brings me joy just seeing that for her," Dobbs said.
For the credit union, seeing the impact of their community outreach makes the effort worthwhile.
"When you see their eyes light up for something that's so small that we do as a small gesture, knowing that what that does for them each and every day, it's so important to us," Kassab said.
The toy delivery represents how small acts of kindness can become powerful symbols of hope for families facing cancer diagnoses.
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